One More Chance
by quiet-heart
Summary: Abby has a new friend, Dabi, and her dog, Azan. Dabi is seventeen, a red-head, and deaf. She's also the only witness to a murder, and she's carrying a secret she doesn't know she's carrying, one that's about to rock their world.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Black velvet hooded cloak with frog closures and gathered wrist cuffs, black flats with red dragons on them, and a black canvas tote bag with Nene Thomas's Moon Fairy on it. Six hoops along the shell of one ear, a really cool rose and bramble ear hugger on the other ear, the girl caught Abby's attention, especially with her wavy red hair held back by a black ribbon. But what really caught Abby Sciuto's attention was the Golden Retriever siting patiently beside the girl. He was wearing a bright orange jacket with the words "_Hearing Dog_" in black on it. A bright orange leash went from his collar to the girl's hand. Abby started grinning; even though the dog was working, he still wore colorful doggie leg warmers and a bright scarf around his neck.

Both the girl and the dog were studying a window with tattoo designs in it. Deciding to try and make friends, Abby went up to the girl and waved, smiling brightly.

"_Are you going to get a tattoo?_" she asked, signing.

The girl, a teenager of maybe sixteen or seventeen with beautiful grey eyes, looked at Abby and her eyes went wide.

"I wish I could," she replied, talking and signing at the same time. "But I'm not eighteen yet. I really want one though and I hope to get one for my birthday. The one on your neck is cool!"

"Thanks! I'm Abby," Abby replied, taking her hint from the teen about talking and signing.

"Dabi, and this is my dog, Azan."

"That's a cool name," Abby said, letting the dog sniff her fingers.

"It means to listen or to hear in Hebrew," Dabi said.

"Because he's a hearing dog?" Abby asked.

"Yup, and he's going to sulk if you don't shake his paw." Azan had one foot up and was whining.

Giggling, Abby knelt down and shook the dog's paw. "Hi Azan. Nice to meet you." She stood up. "I know a really good coffee shop nearby."

"Is it the one that sells those apple fritters that look like they just came out of the oven?"

"You know it?"

"My grandparents own a bakery and the coffee shop is one of our clients. After school I help at the bakery and even help do deliveries and errands during the holidays and weekends."

As they started walking, Abby groaned. "That would be so hard on my tummy, being tempted by all the fresh baked goodies."

Dabi shrugged. "I've been living at the bakery most of my life; I'm used to it."

Dabi Moore was an easy-going girl of seventeen. Despite being deaf, she was in her final year of public high school and already looking at colleges, with an eye on business degrees and plans to one day take over her grandparents' bakery. She loved her dog, Azan, who had been with her since she was twelve, and as a Hearing Dog, he went everywhere with her.

As far as Abby was concerned, she had just made another friend. She even began to make arrangements for a special surprise for Dabi's eighteenth birthday, which was in three months.

Dabi was happy to make friends with Abby, as being deaf, tall, and flat-chested hadn't rendered her very many friends in school. Plus, working at the bakery didn't leave her much time for a social life, and she was a bit shy around boys.

Three weeks later, spring break started. Dabi and Abby had been exchanging regular texts and e-mails and had even made serious plans to raid the mall in the near future.

Today, however, Dabi and Azan were running errands for the bakery. Earlier, she'd helped unload a large delivery of bakery supplies, like sugar, flour, and shortening, so she was in jeans and steel toe shoes.

Standing at five feet ten inches, with her body not done growing, Dabi was quite content to raid the men's clothing department for shoes and shirts when the need arose, like the steel toe shoes she wore when unloading or doing deliveries. There had been one too many incidents of busted toes for her liking.

Deciding to take a short-cut through an alley on her way back to the bakery, it was then that Dabi spotted something.

Someone with a weapon was viciously beating a man in a Navy officer uniform.

"Hey!" she yelled. "Stop that!"

Azan, sensing something wasn't quite right, started barking, straining at his leash.

The attacker looked up and stared straight at her.

"Leave him alone! The cops are on their way!" she lied, praying the man wouldn't go after her.

Instead, the man ran away, and Dabi ran to the officer.

"_Help me_," the dark-skinned man gurgled. He was in bad shape and there was blood everywhere. He made a frantic grab for Azan, who yelped.

Grabbing the officer, Dabi struggled to get him to his feet, but the officer was mostly dead-weight. Knowing she wasn't going to get very far trying to carry him, she moved him out of the middle of the alley to the side, where he was less likely to get hit, and did the only thing she could think of; ran out of the alley and in to a nearby bank.

"Call 9-1-1!" she shouted at the bank security guard, Azan barking frantically. "There's a man in the alley and he's badly hurt!" She didn't look back to see if the guard was following her as she ran back, but he was, yelling on his radio.

By the time they got back to the officer, it was too late. The only thing anyone could do for him now was call the cops and report a murder.

Before the guard could talk to Dabi, she and Azan were already gone. The officer was dead, the killer had seen her and her dog, and that meant she was in big, _big_ trouble. That meant it wasn't safe for her to go back to the bakery.

Ducking behind a large garbage bin well away from the alley, Dabi pulled out her iPhone from her Hello Kitty messenger bag and quickly sent her new friend, Abby, a message.

"_URGENT! 911! HELP! I'm in way BIG trouble and I don't know what to do! I saw some guy beat this Navy guy to death and he saw me! HELP!_"

Thankfully, after several nerve-wracking moments, Abby replied.

"_Where are you? I'll come and get you and get you some place safe._"

Dabi texted her location and a moment later, Abby told her to stay put, that she was on her way.

_NCIS:_

"Gibbs!" Abby yelled, tearing through the building. He wasn't at his desk. "Where is Gibbs!?" she demanded to Timothy McGee, who was closest.

"Upstairs with Vance. What's wrong, Abby?"

Abby didn't reply, just took off for the director's office. Ignoring Vance's secretary, she charged in to the office, yelling for Gibbs.

"Abby! What's wrong?" Gibbs asked. He'd only seen Abby this frantic on a few rare occasions, and when she was, it was usually for a good reason. He had never seen her burst in to Director Vance's office like this before though.

"Dabi, my friend, she said she just saw some guy beat some Navy guy to death and the killer saw her!" Abby said frantically. "We got to get to her before this killer gets to her and her dog!"

"Where?" Gibbs demanded, not even bothering to question Abby about the validity of the message. If she said it, he believed it.

Abby showed him the message and, not even glancing at Vance, he grabbed Abby and hustled out of the office.

"Keep me posted, Gibbs!" Vance yelled. Gibbs didn't bother replying. Vance knew he would know when Gibbs knew, if he knew anything.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Boss, we just got a call-out. Dead Navy officer in an alley," Tony DiNozzo said as Gibbs headed for his desk.

"That's got to be the one Dabi told me about!" Abby said frantically, right behind Gibbs.

Gibbs made a decision. "Abby, find your friend, bring her here. Process her if you can, but stay in touch. Everyone else, grab your gear."

"We got a witness already, boss?" Tim asked, grabbing his bag.

"Looks that way."

Traffic was a nightmare. Part of it was due to it being lunch time and part of it was due to spring break tourist season.

The MCRT van had an easier time of it due to their flashing lights, but Abby and her red truck were soon left behind.

Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard and his assistant, Jimmy Palmer, arrived right behind Gibbs and his team.

"What do we got, Duck?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm afraid this young man received a rather vicious beating with a blunt object," Ducky said. "With what, I won't be able to say until we get him on my table.

Palmer removed the liver temperature reader and studied it. "As for the when, less than an hour ago," he said.

"And the marks on his clothes and shoes suggest he did not come to this spot without help," Ducky said.

"Yeah, there's blood on the ground over there," Gibbs said, where Tony and Tim were photographing.

"Hey boss! Looks like we got foot prints in the blood, possibly animal and human," Tony said.

"The bank security guard did say a young woman with a dog alerted him to the victim and that the dog was wearing a bright orange vest, possibly a working dog," Ziva David said, joining them from speaking with the bank security officer. "He has agreed to bring us the video from the bank cameras so that we may possibly identify this person."

"Hey boss?" Tim called quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Your one o'clock. We got a watcher, and she's got a dog."

Gibbs looked up and quickly spotted the young woman peeking around the corner, away from the crime scene and cops. She had red hair in a pony tail, and wore a very large denim jacket, with some kind of cartoony messenger bag over her shoulder and chest. Seated next to her was a Golden Retriever wearing an orange vest. Was this Abby's friend, Dabi, and her dog?

"DiNozzo..." Gibbs said.

"I see her, boss," Tony said, already moving to try and go around her. He got half-way there when she bolted, forcing him to give chase. "Stop!" he yelled, not that it did any good.

Half-way down the block he caught up to her and grabbed her by the upper arms.

That was a mistake.

Crying out in fear, the girl reached behind her and managed to grab the crotch of his pants and a very valuable part of his male anatomy. She squeezed, hard, and Tony howled in pain, letting her go.

By that time Tim had caught up to them and made a grab at the girl. He was rewarded with a kick that had him joining Tony on the street in pain.

Ziva nearly had her when a sharp pain lanced though the back of her knee and she tumbled to the ground, a victim of a mean bite from the dog, who seemed intent on protecting his mistress.

Gibbs was able to grab her and swing her around, but when he saw her face, he froze. Frightened grey eyes looked back at him amid wavy dark red hair. It was a face he could have sworn he'd once seen, years ago.

His hesitation was rewarded by a punch from the girl that caught him across the jaw and sent him reeling. It was a lucky shot and a good one, but he recovered quickly enough to make another grab at the girl, this time around the upper arms in a backwards bear grip. He lifted her up off her feet and narrowly avoided being bitten by her growling, barking canine companion, thanks to Ziva, who had recovered enough to grab the dog's leash and collar.

"Let me go! Let me go!" the girl yelled, kicking and wiggling frantically, just as two cops were about to join in on the fight.

Suddenly, Abby's truck squealed to a stop in front of them and Abby all but fell out of the truck.

"Stop!" Abby cried, her hands flying at the same time, talking to both Gibbs and the girl. "It's okay! It's okay! Gibbs, that's Dabi, my friend! Stop! Stop fighting! They won't hurt you, I promise!"

"Abby! What's going on? Why were they chasing me? I don't understand what's going on!" Dabi said, no longer struggling against Gibbs, but she was breathing hard and straining.

"Gibbs?" Abby asked.

"We saw her at the crime scene with her dog and there's evidence of a dog at the crime scene," Gibbs explained, not letting Dabi go just yet. He watched as Abby signed to Dabi. "She didn't stop when DiNozzo told her to so we believed she might be a suspect."

"Even if Tony had used a bullhorn to yell, it wouldn't have done any good," Abby explained. "Dabi's deaf and Azan is her hearing dog. She's the one I told you that saw the murder."

Gibbs let Dabi go and she turned to face him, as Ziva approached, bringing a whining and barking Azan with her. When he saw his mistress, Azan barked happily, Ziva let him go, and Dabi crouched down, hugging her dog when he ran up to her, tail wagging eagerly.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, signing and talking, while burying her face in her dog's neck. "When I saw that guy coming after me, I got scared. I don't know what NCIS is, or MCRT. You guys don't look like cops."

Gibbs tapped her on the shoulder and signed, "We are, but we're Navy and Marine cops." He took out his badge and showed her.

"How do you know them, Abby?" Dabi asked, standing up and beginning to unconsciously rub Azan's ears. Azan responded by leaning his head against her leg and closing his eyes. This was a familiar ritual for both of them.

"I work as a forensic specialist for NCIS, which means Naval Criminal Investigative Services," Abby explained gently. "Gibbs is kind of my boss. He's the supervisory agent for the Major Crimes Response Team, which handles murder investigations." She gestured towards Ziva and said, "That's Ziva David, an agent with NCIS."

"And the guys I nailed back there?" Dabi asked worriedly.

"Sounds like Tony DiNozzo and Timmy McGee," Abby said. She put her arm around her friend. "Go with Gibbs and tell him what happened. He won't hurt you, I promise. And then afterwards, if Gibbs says it's okay, I'll show you my lab."

Dabi nodded, but worried her lip. "Nana and Pop-pop are going to be worried about me. I was due back at the bakery by now but I didn't want to risk that guy following me back to them. They're the only family I have."

"We'll let them know what's going on," Gibbs promised. "Ziva?"

Dabi gave her the bakery's address and Ziva promised to take care of the matter right away. Abby left to park her truck some place safe and Gibbs took Dabi back to the scene.

Back at the scene, both Tony and Tim were sitting inside the back of the MCRT truck, their faces ashen as they held packs of ice over their groin while Ducky looked on. Palmer was loading the victim in to the coroner van, ready for the trip to Ducky's morgue for an autopsy.

Dabi cringed when she saw Tony and Tim, realizing the extent of the pain she had inflicted. "And I'm wearing steel toes," she mumbled, signing.

"And you, my dear, apparently have quite the grip," Ducky said. "As Tony no doubt knows by now."

Dabi glanced at Gibbs, who translated for her in sign. Her lip reading skills were good, but the elderly gentleman seemed to have some kind of accent, making him a little hard read.

"I work in a bakery with my grandparents," she admitted. "I help out with the heavy stuff a lot these days."

"Ah! Well, that certainly explains the most wonderful smell of cinnamon and nutmeg I do believe I can smell on you," Ducky said, coming closer, with Gibbs signing.

"We did off-load a large box of ground cinnamon and nutmeg this morning," Dabi admitted. "Plus I helped load a delivery of apple pies and apple fritters to one of our customers."

"Yummy," said Jimmy, overhearing.

"Tell me what happened," Gibbs coaxed, leading her to the truck. They were probably going to have to take her clothes for evidence examination, as well as check the dog over.

Glancing at Tony and Tim and cringing, Dabi began to talk.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

They were going to have to process her clothes, so Gibbs had Ziva pick some up while she spoke to the grandparents when it was learned that Dabi was living with them. She would also need another work jacket for Azan when Gibbs learned that the victim, Lieutenant Commander Rolland Cooper, had grabbed at Azan before he died.

"He didn't say anything," Dabi said, shrugging in to the dark blue jumpsuit Gibbs had offered her while he took her jacket, shirt, pants, and shoes. "He said 'help me' and grabbed at Azan." She tugged the zipper up and opened the truck door, before sitting down to put on the rubber boots that had been offered.

"And was that when you went and got the guard?" Gibbs asked.

"After I moved him out of the middle of the alley," she admitted. "I did try to lift him, to get him out of here, but he was too heavy." She bit her lip. "I probably shouldn't have moved him. He might have had internal injuries."

"You tried to help him. That's what matters," Gibbs soothed. He finished sealing the evidence bag with her shoes in them.

"Going to have to get a new pair of steel toe shoes after this," Dabi mumbled. "Broke my big toe once, when I accidentally dropped a huge tub of shortening stuff."

"Ouch," Gibbs said, wincing.

Abby appeared and threw her arms around the teenager. "You're safe! You're okay! I told you you'd be okay! Gibbs, we've got to get her out of here! That guy could come after her and Azan any minute!"

"Agreed. Abby, take her to NCIS and get a sketch of the guy. We'll be right behind you," Gibbs said.

"Once those guys stop singing soprano, that is," Dabi signed to Abby, who sniggered. Gibbs just shook his head.

At the bakery, Ziva was talking with Daniel and Sharee Shemo. Daniel was a muscular man with a receding hairline and a flour/spice/who-knows-what stained apron around his waist. Sharee, in contrast, was a pleasantly plump petite woman with greying hair tucked in a bun. She was a little cleaner than her husband, but not by much.

After introducing herself and explaining the situation, Ziva assured the senior couple that their granddaughter was safe, just scared.

"She will need some clean clothes and possibly an over-night bag until we can determine whether or not she will need to be in protective custody," Ziva said.

Sharee nodded. "Come with me. I'll show you her room."

As they made their way through the bustling bakery, Ziva felt her stomach rumble.

"Are you Jewish, Agent David?" Sharee asked, noticing how Ziva's eyes lit up at the sight of fresh-baked rugelach, a type of Jewish cookie, and hamentaschen, a sweet Jewish pastry.

"I am, yes."

"When was the last time you had some hamentaschen or rugelach?" Sharee asked.

"Not since I left Israel," Ziva admitted, her mouth watering. She could smell apricot preserves coming from the treats. "I went back recently to bury my father, but did not have the chance to stop at a bakery there."

"Well, we specialize in traditional Jewish treats, made with real ingredients and Old World recipes," Sharee said, snagging a hamentaschen and handing it to Ziva. "My husband's family is Jewish and many of the recipes we use have been handed down to us through the family."

Ziva bit in to the hamentaschen and tried not to moan in pleasure as the sweet pastry coated her tongue.

"I must pay you for this," she said.

"You will insult me if you do," Sharee said, smiling.

"Then I shall not insult you again, but I will most certainly put in an order for a box of these that I will pay for!"

"Fair enough," Sharee said. She turned to a baker, a woman in her late thirties, but before she could speak, the woman beat her to it.

"One box of our best selection of Jewish pastry coming up," she said. "Is Dabi all right? She's usually back by now, helping out."

"You know her?" Ziva asked, using the opportunity to investigate her potential witness.

"Who doesn't? I've worked her for nearly six years and Dabi's always been there," the woman admitted.

"And the fact that she is deaf?" Ziva asked.

The woman shrugged. "All of us have learned enough sign to talk to her well enough. Makes it easier when we're trying to talk to someone across the room about something. Better than shouting." The woman leaned against the work bench. "Dabi's a good kid and a hard worker. If she's in trouble, we wanna know."

"She may be a witness to a crime," Ziva admitted. "Until NCIS knows for sure, we may have to take her in to protective custody or assign an agent to her."

The woman nodded. "I'll let the others know. Keep it on the low-down, right?"

"If you mean by keeping it quiet, then yes, for Dabi's safety, keep it on the low-down," Ziva said, polishing off her pastry.

"I hear ya."

"Thank you, Marissa," Sharee said.

Dabi's room was bright pink with black trim and looked like a typical teenage girl's room. Ziva spotted several posters on the wall.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited: imagination encircles the world," she read from one poster.

The poster was an adaption of an original photograph from NASA images of Dr. Robert H. Goddard at a blackboard at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1924.

The second poster was black and yellow and seemed to cover ten of the oddest "myths" Ziva had ever heard of, like the Lead Balloon, Cement Mix-Up, Jaws of Life, Alcatraz Escape, and Hindenburg Skin. They were either "busted", "confirmed", or "plausible."

Both posters had a "Mythbusters" logo on them and Ziva was curious about that.

"Keep calm and kitty on." Ziva grinned, looking at the other poster with Hello Kitty on it.

Dabi's king-size bed was covered in a colorful quilt and a couple of Hello Kitty pillows. Beside her bed was a large dog basket with some well-worn blankets. This was obviously where Azan slept.

On one section of the wall were snapshots of Dabi and her grandparents and Azan. There was a photo of a blonde girl who was flashing her middle finger at the camera. Across the photo were the words "PUBLIC ENEMY #1!"

"Who is that?" Ziva asked, watching as Sharee packed an over-night bag for her granddaughter.

"Some girl at school that Dabi doesn't like. Apparently the feeling's mutual because she got into a fight last year with her."

"Do you know what over?"

"Something about being teased by the girl once too often and Dabi lost her temper. From what I understand, it was deserved because Dabi wasn't the only one being picked on by this girl. I don't agree with what Dabi did, but I also don't like bullies and Daniel and I have tried to teach her to stand up for herself."

"That is reasonable. I have gotten in to a few fights myself for the same reason."

"We've tried to raise her right since she lost her mother and every night I pray we've taught her the right things."

"What happened to her mother?"

"Drunk driver hit her at a crosswalk when Dabi was eleven. Since Amanda had no other family but us, the courts decided to let us keep raising Dabi rather than put her in foster, especially when they found out that she'd been with us since Amanda was pregnant with her."

"Dabi is lucky to have you."

"Sometimes I think we're the lucky ones."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

At NCIS, Dabi wrote out her statement while Abby processed Azan. Meanwhile, Tony, Tim, and Gibbs began the task of digging through Lieutenant Commander Cooper's life.

Tim pulled up the officer's record on the plasma.

"Lieutenant Commander Cooper has a clean record, boss," he said. "He was assigned as an aide for Two Star Rear Admiral Jonathan Kemper, at the Pentagon."

"Calling Kemper now, boss," said Tony, his ear on the phone. "Bring him in?"

Gibbs nodded and Tim continued.

"Financials look clean but his bank statements show he was spending a fair bit of time at a restaurant called The Blue Gull. Five times in the last month. Could be seeing someone."

"Call the restaurant, find out," Gibbs said.

Ziva emerged from the elevator, carrying two white bakery boxes and a over-night bag in bright colors.

"Dabi Moore is a nice, harmless teenage girl who likes Hello Kitty and a group called Mythbusters," she reported, putting everything on her desk. "She lives with her grandparents above the bakery and helps out after school and during holidays. Her only problems have been getting in to a fight with a blonde girl at school over being teased, and losing her mother to a drunk driver when she was eleven."

"Who was her mother?" Gibbs asked.

"Amanda Moore, I believe," Ziva replied, opening one of the boxes and taking out a pastry.

"Rear Admiral Kemper is on his way over, boss," said Tony. He sniffed the air. "Are those pastries?"

"Dabi felt bad about hurting you so she texted her grandmother and ordered a box of baked goods from the bakery at her expense," Ziva explained, offering the other box to him before passing it on to Tim and Gibbs. "She really is a sweet girl."

"And the dog?" Tony asked.

"Azan. He's a Hearing Dog and never goes anywhere without her. I do believe he was trying to defend her."

"She has a very good grip," he mumbled.

"That might have to do with the fact that she helps squeeze oranges and lemons as part of the bakery ingredients," Ziva said cheerfully.

Tony groaned, an unwanted image coming to his mind.

"Found the police report on Amanda Moore," Tim said.

"Put it up," Gibbs said, coming around his desk.

Tim did so, and an attractive woman with red hair also appeared.

"Amanda Moore was crossing a street after making a deposit for the bakery at a bank," Tim said. "She had the right of way but that didn't stop Andrew Collins from hitting her at over seventy miles an hour. Blood alcohol level was 0.102, well over the legal limit. Cops found him a block down, having done a head-on collision with a street lamp. He claimed he never saw Amanda, who was pronounced dead at the scene. He's currently doing time for vehicular manslaughter, among other charges." He scrolled through the report. "One cop is quoted as saying, upon Andrew's statement of not seeing Amanda, 'You didn't stop either, and now there's a little girl at home who will never see her mother again, because you didn't stop and think!'"

Gibbs stared at the photo of Amanda Moore. He was right; he had seen that face before. It had been eighteen years ago, and he had been newly divorced, not looking for anything permanent, just a good time. Amanda Moore had been that good time and he'd spent about a month with her, usually in her very inviting arms.

Then he has gotten called to a case over-seas and never saw her again. He had often wondered what had happened to her and how she was doing. Now he knew.

"Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs!" Abby yelled excitedly as she charged into the bullpen. "I know why Lieutenant Commander Copper grabbed at Azan!"

"Why? And where is Dabi?"

"He was trying to hide a very incriminating flash drive, and Dabi is with an agent, writing out her statement," Abby said, handing the flash drive to Tim, who plugged it in. Photos began to pop up on the plasma of a Navy officer with two different women. In some of the photos he wore his uniform and in one of the photos, two stars could be seen on his epaulettes; he was a Rear Admiral.

"Who is that?" Ziva asked.

"Rear Admiral Jonathan Kemper," Abby said, grinning. "Cooper's boss."

"And we just found out why someone wanted him dead," Tony said. "Who wants to bet those very hot women are not his wife?"

"They're not," said Tim, pulling up a DMV photo of an attractive woman with black hair and dusky skin. "Maureen Kemper is."

"Is the admiral a suspect now, boss?" Tony asked.

"Him and his wife," said Gibbs. "Bring 'em in."

"While you are doing that, I would like to give Dabi her clothes," Ziva said. "Is Azan with Dabi again?"

"I finished processing him and dropped him off with Dabi in the conference room with a doggie biscuit before I came here," Abby said.

"I'll do that," Gibbs said. He took the bag from Ziva, leaving his team exchanging puzzled looks, and headed for the conference room. "Find out everything about our suspects and Cooper, from birth on. What about the guy Dabi saw?"

"Running him through facial recognition now," Abby assured him.

"What does Dabi like to eat or drink?" he asked.

"Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate or Iced White Chocolate Mocha, both from Starbucks," Abby said cheerfully. "As for food, offer her a pepperoni pizza with olives and double cheese and she'll tap dance on the table for you."

Gibbs grinned. "Order up."

Gibbs headed for the conference room. Inside, an agent at the door, Dabi was seated on the floor, cuddling with Azan, who looked like he'd just had a bath. A yellow legal pad was on the table, a pen beside it.

Azan barked when he saw Gibbs, who dismissed the agent. Dabi looked up and offered him a shy smile. Gibbs noticed a large pendant had come out of the coveralls, one that looked vaguely familiar. She started to stand but he waved her down.

"_Is this your statement?_" he signed, picking up the pad.

She nodded. He sat down beside her, with Azan on the other side of her.

"_That's a pretty pendant_," he signed.

She lifted it up and let him take a closer look.

"_It's a British Half Crown_," she signed back. "_It used to belong to my mom_."

"_I know what happened to your mom. I'm sorry. I knew her before you were born. She was a good person. I remember seeing her wear that._" It had smacked him in the nose once, during one of their sessions, but he wasn't about to tell Dabi that.

"_I miss her, but Nana_ _and Pop-pop are good to me._" Dabi worried her lip. "_What's_ _going to happen to me?_" she asked. "_Why was that man killed?_"

"_Right now, until we know more, you will be staying with one of us. You'll_ _stay at my_ _place tonight_," he replied. "_As for why, we found a flash drive on Azan's jacket that the officer put there when he grabbed him. It contains some pretty interesting stuff_, _stuff people have been known to kill over."_

Dabi's eyes went wide. Then Azan barked again, just as someone knocked on the door. It was Tim and he gestured at Gibbs. Gibbs joined him in the hallway.

"We've got a problem, boss, a serious one."

"What?"

"Facial recognition coughed up the name of the guy Dabi saw; Tyler Gadder."

"Trouble?"

"Muscle for hire. He's been suspected of witness intimidation, beat-downs, and a few assaults with deadly weapons," Tim explained, handing Gibbs a sheet of paper with a picture of a mean-looking Spanish-decent male. "Local cops have been after him for a while. Tony is checking in, but so far word is witnesses have a habit of either forgetting or disappearing around him."

"And Dabi wouldn't stand a chance," Gibbs said.

"Not a hope in hell," Tim said. "Tyler could be working for someone, and this could be a lot messier than we originally thought. If Tyler gets his hands on her, we'll be attending her funeral instead of escorting her to court."

"Then let's make sure that doesn't happen."

"BOLO already on him."

"Where we go, she and Azan go."

"Got it. Now we just have to tell her that."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

In the interrogation room, Rear Admiral Jonathan Kemper stared at the photos Tony laid in front of him one by one.

"Those are some pretty hot women, Admiral, but, ah, they're not your wife," he said.

"Where did you get these?" Kemper demanded.

"They were on a flash drive your aide, Lieutenant Commander Cooper had. He passed it on to a witness before he died," Tony said.

"Damnit," Kemper muttered, rubbing his chin.

Kemper was a robust man of average height, with sandy brown hair and brown eyes. He had a slightly roguish air about him that seemed to draw women to him like flies to honey.

"Any idea why Cooper might have this and who would kill him to get it back?" Tony asked.

"None. I didn't even know Cooper knew about my affairs," Kemper said.

"Well, someone knew and somehow Cooper got his hands on these." Tony changed tactics. "What was your aide like?"

Kemper shrugged. "A good man, good officer. He did what I told him to, but I didn't know him outside of the Pentagon."

"Why not?"

"No need to. I learned a long time ago not to get involved in my officers lives; it's a waste of valuable time, which is exactly what my time is." Kemper glared at Tony. "Am I a suspect or not?"

"Your aide is dead and he had some pretty incriminating pictures of you, pictures people have been known to kill over, so yeah, until you prove otherwise, you're a suspect, Admiral," Tony replied sarcastically. "Do you know this guy?" he asked, laying the mugshot of Tyler Gadder on the table.

"No I don't. Who is he?"

"The charming fellow who beat your aide to death."

"What does he have to do with me?"

"He's a known muscle for hire, and I'm thinking you hired him to get that flash drive back from Cooper, because these pictures could ruin a perfectly good Navy career, or even your marriage."

Kemper snorted. "My career, maybe. My marriage, not so much. My wife and I..." he sighed heavily. "She's changed, I've changed."

"So divorce her."

"Not without one hell of a nasty battle from her. That woman personifies the phrase _'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned_.' No, I won't put our daughter through that."

"Angela Kemper?" Tony asked, glancing at Kemper's file.

"My angel," Kemper said, smiling. "She's a good kid and I won't hurt her just because her mother and I no longer like each other."

"How long have these affairs been going on?"

Kemper shrugged. "A few months. Nothing sexual, just dinners and lunches and e-mails."

"Companionship."

"Which is more than my wife was offering. Can't even offer her flowers these days without her being suspicious of me."

In the other interrogation room, it was a different story with Amanda Kemper.

"Oh yeah, I knew," she said bitterly, shoving the photos away from her. "They were on a flash drive I had in a private box in my bedroom that went missing! I thought Jonathan had stolen it! How did you get them?"

"The flash drive was found on a murder victim, Lieutenant Commander Cooper, your husband's aide. How long have you known about the affairs?" Ziva asked.

"I suspected at first, but it wasn't until I hired the private investigator that it was confirmed. That bastard's been cheating on me for years, I'm sure of it!"

"Why do you say that?" Ziva asked.

"All those trips away from home? I know other women find him attractive; I'm not stupid."

"You don't trust him?"

"I used to, but not any more. Before he belonged to the Navy, he belonged to me. He promised me he would retire when he made Captain and finished at least two tours on a ship, but that was before nine eleven."

"And things changed."

"Not right away, at first. But when he was Captain and we were dealing with the aftermath of the attack, the Navy needed him more than I did, so he didn't retire."

"And now that he's a Two Star Rear Admiral?"

"When he made Admiral, I admit there were a lot of nice privileges that came with being the wife of an admiral. But now all he does is work, work, work! He's hardly ever home anymore and now I know why!"

"Are you going to divorce him?"

"You bet you ass I will, and I'm going to take his precious career with me! His career is more important than me, lets see how well he does when I threaten it!"

"What about your daughter, Angela? Surely you would not want your daughter to be dragged through an ugly divorce."

Amanda sneered. "She'll learn, just like I did."

"I need the name and contact information of your private investigator," Ziva said, pushing a pad and pen towards the other woman. She showed her a picture of Tyler Gadder. "Do you know this man?"

"Should I?" Amanda asked, scribbling a name and number on the pad.

"He is involved in the murder of Lieutenant Commander Cooper."

"I knew Cooper, but not this guy. Cooper was a pansy, one in a long string of aides for Jonathan."

"Do you know if he was seeing anyone?"

"Don't know, don't care. He probably covered for Jonathan, so that makes him just as bad as that bastard."

Outside of the interrogation rooms, Tony and Ziva compared notes.

"Amanda is a very bitter, very unhappy woman," Ziva said.

"And hubby a lonely, unhappy man."

"Amanda is accusing Cooper of covering for her husband's affairs, and she admits to setting a private investigator on her husband. Beyond that, she did not care for the man. She also claims to not know Gadder."

"Same with Kemper. You get the P.I?"

"I did."

"What do you say we cut these two loose and go investigate our very own Thomas Magnum?"

"If we can prevent Amanda from attempting to kill her husband. I would suggest we give the admiral a five minute head-start. I would like to talk to the daughter, though, as I believe she may know something."

"Good idea."

The private investigator was a man by the name of Peter Wilber, who operated_ I Spy PI_, a single-person private investigation company. His website promised to always get the truth, no matter how ugly or how deeply buried your secret was, by any means necessary. A background check revealed he was a former security guard who had worked for several years at a hospital in Bethesda before leaving.

"If Amanda Kemper hired this Peter Wilber, I wonder if he hired Tyler Gabber to get back the missing flash drive," Ziva said. "She accused her husband of stealing it."

"But Cooper had it," Tim said. "So somehow he either found it or was given it by Kemper."

"What about the daughter?" Tony asked. "She would have had access to the house and her mother's private things."

"Children do not miss as much as their parents think they do," Ziva said. "She may have known what was going on and tried to protect her father."

"Daddy's little girl," Tony said.

"I would like to meet Peter Wilber," Ziva said, a gleam coming to her eyes. "I do believe I can get him to talk."

"With legs like yours, you could get me to talk about anything any time you wanted," Tony said, earning a glare from Ziva.

Ziva contacted Peter Wilber and arranged for a meeting on the pretense of believing her husband was cheating on her. The investigator couldn't meet her right away due to a commitment, but he did agree to an early morning meeting.

The remainder of the day was spent going through Cooper's cell phone records (a lot of calls and texts to and from Angela Kemper's cell phone), e-mails, (more communications between Cooper and Angela), looking at Angela Kemper (plenty of calls and texts to and from Cooper) and the autopsy report on Cooper.

"The poor man was beaten to death with the butt of a gun, Jethro," Ducky said. "He sustained a number of blows to the face and head, several of them quite fatal. This resulted in bleeding in the brain. I do believe the attacker meant to render him unconscious, but wound up the lieutenant commander instead."

"Broken cheekbones, nose, fractured jaw, orbital bones, and at least three skull fractures," Jimmy read off. "Plus a broken collar bone and fractured forearm."

"If he'd gotten to a hospital in time?" Gibbs asked.

"I doubt very much he would have survived; the damage was simply too severe, I'm afraid."

"Well, at least Dabi can stop wondering if moving him had been a bad idea. Any indication he fought back?"

"There was some skin under his nails, which I have sent up to Abby. Hopefully that will provide us with some evidence to your suspect." He looked at Gibbs with a critical eye. "How is our young witness?"

"A scared teenage girl, Duck, one who's going to be staying with us until we catch the guy."

"Then I'll dare say you'll have your hands full with her, as you usually seem to with red-heads."

Gibbs grinned at him and walked out.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

With the discovery of skin under Cooper's nails, Abby was running Dabi's DNA through the system, as well as the victim's. If there was no match, they would go after the Kempers and Gabber.

The plan was to bring Angela Kemper in first thing in the morning, with Gibbs talking to her, while Ziva and Tony went after Peter Wilber. Tim would stay with Dabi and, if she was cleared by the DNA, allow her outside, but not out of sight of NCIS, to let Azan run around.

Realizing she was probably going to be spending a lot more time away from home than just an over-night trip, Gibbs agreed to let Dabi get a suitcase of clothes and personal stuff to tide her over for a while longer. Dabi was glad because she wanted her laptop and wireless printer; she was supposed to be trying to do a report for Chemistry class for extra credit. The problem was, Chemistry was boring. Maybe hanging with Abby could inspire something. After all, that was one way cool lab she had. And didn't Abby say NCIS had their own morgue? If she was going to be stuck in protective custody with these guys for heaven knows how long, maybe she could get a Biology report done for extra credit too. Gross, but if it worked...

While Gibbs spoke to her grandparents, Dabi packed her suitcase. She even packed a bag for Azan. She had a habit of giving him a bath about once a week and he was due up pretty quick.

"There will be an agent assigned to you two until this is over," Gibbs said to Daniel and Sharee. "Tell your staff to be on the look-out for this guy and if they see him, tell the agent right away." Gibbs handed them a copy of Tyler Gadder's mug shot. "Don't try and confront him; this guy is dangerous."

"What did he do?" Daniel asked, accepting the paper.

"He beat a Navy officer to death and Dabi witnessed it."

"Oh my god," Sharee moaned.

"We've got people out looking for him, but we don't know how long that'll take," Gibbs admitted.

"Spring break will be over in about a week," Daniel said. "If you haven't caught this guy by then, then what?"

"Then Dabi gets a new best friend who goes to school with her," Gibbs said, hoping it wouldn't come to that.

They stopped by a grocery store and while Gibbs loaded up on groceries and dog food, Dabi picked up a few things as well. Gibbs was being really nice to her and she wanted to surprise him by doing some baking in the morning. Thanks to her grandparents, Dabi was a capable baker and had learned the fine art of baking various pasties at her grandparents' hands.

At Gibbs' house, he put her in the guest room and let her get settled in while he threw some spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread together.

She appeared a short while later, wearing black footsie pajamas with bright, multi-colored neon peace signs all over it. Her face was scrubbed clean of make-up and Gibbs could smell the faint smell of what was probably a facial cleanser. Azan trailed behind her, his jacket and leash off, looking like he'd just had a brush job.

"Cute pajamas," he said.

Dabi shrugged. "Nana and Pop-Pop got it for me from this pajamagram website, when I got sick last year with tonsillitis and had to have my tonsils removed." She sniffed the air. "That smells good," she said.

"You hungry?" he asked.

"Kinda." She wandered in to the living room, looking at the pictures in the wall. "Who are they?" she asked, pointing to one picture of Gibbs with a woman with red hair and a girl of about six or seven.

"My first wife and daughter," he said, joining her. "That's Shannon and Kelly."

"Are they still around?"

"Not any more. I lost them years ago, like you lost your mom."

"Kelly was lucky," she mumbled.

"How so?"

Dabi shrugged, feeling self-conscious. "She knew her dad. Mom never told me who mine was, and there's no name listed on my birth certificate." She looked at the other pictures, and her eyes landed on the one of Gibbs and his dad. "Some times I wonder if my birth dad would want anything to do with me if he knew about me."

"What do you mean?"

She shrugged again. "I'm deaf, I'm tall and flat-chested (she rubbed her 36 AA chest self-consciously), I've got a dog I never go anywhere without, and my temper's gotten me in to trouble a few times." She glanced at Gibbs and admitted sheepishly, "I punched this girl in Biology class last year, just before school let out for the summer. She called me Flaty Dabi once too often and I swung. Knocked her ass in to a lake we were studying during a Biology field trip."

"Bet your grandparents were proud."

"I was grounded for a week. It was my room or the bakery, but they let me keep my laptop and phone. Plus, I got detention for a day at school, but that was okay, because Brenda got suspended for two weeks for bullying. I wasn't her only target."

"Gotten in to a few fights myself that way," Gibbs admitted, grinning. As he lead the way back to the kitchen, he put his arm around her shoulders. "Any guy with an ounce of brain would be proud to call you his daughter. I know I would."

Dabi was quiet as she and Gibbs ate. To Gibbs, it looked like she was thinking about something. After dinner was done and the dishes were put away, to Gibbs' surprise, she took out the ingredients for what he would learn was a coffee cheesecake pie, and began to mix. Fifteen minutes later, the pie was in the oven and Dabi was setting a vibrating alarm clock for forty minutes. After cleaning up the kitchen, she came in to the living room, where Gibbs had moved to the couch.

"Gibbs?" she asked tentatively.

"What's up, kiddo?" he asked, looking up from his book and taking off his reading glasses.

She chewed on her lip and started twisting Azan's ears, who was leaning his head against her leg. "I don't know my dad and, well, you've been a dad and, well, we don't know how long I'm going to be in protective custody and you said you'd be proud to call me your daughter and I know it sounds crazy and all that and I'm probably crazy for asking and I know it's probably not a good idea to get personally involved in a case and I admit I can be a handful and I'm deaf and all that crazy stuff but could I pretend you're my dad for a little while?" she blurted out. She looked away, her face turning scarlet.

Gibbs stared at her. She was a teenage girl who didn't have a high self-esteem and didn't know her real dad. He realized she just wanted a dad, even if it was pretend.

What harm could it do, even if it meant breaking Rule Number Ten (Never get personally involved on a case) and possibly Rule Number Eleven (When the job is done, walk away)?

_Ah, what the hell._

When Dabi looked up, her face still scarlet, he held out his arm and smiled.

"Come here, kiddo," he said.

Her face lit up and she all but dove in to his arms, hugging him tightly.

He tapped her chin and when she looked up at him, he said, "Listen to me. Just because you're deaf does not make you any less special. It took a lot of courage to try and help that officer and I'm proud of you. No matter what happens, you remember that, okay?"

She nodded. He continued.

"If you're going to hit someone, you might as well learn to do it right. Depending on what happens tomorrow, I will take you to the gym and teach you how to fight like a Marine."

"A Marine? Were you a Marine?"

Gibbs nodded, pointing to a picture on the wall of him in Marine desert fatigues with some old friends. "I made Gunnery Sergeant before I left. That one was taken during Desert Storm."

"We studied that in school in History class. Was it was bad as the books say?"

Gibbs nodded. "We lost a lot of good Marines during that operation." Before he knew it, he was telling her of his personal experiences during the Gulf War, and she was listening with wide eyes.

When Gibbs woke up on the couch the next morning, it was to the delicious smell of apple fritters, blueberry scones, and fresh coffee.

A cold nose in his ear made him jump and he looked over; it was just Azan. The dog woofed at him, wagged his tail, and headed for the kitchen as if he belonged there. As Gibbs sat up, Dabi came out of the kitchen. She was dressed, her hair pulled back in a scrunchie, and wearing a white bib apron with what looked like a bunch of signatures in black marker scribbled all over the top half. She was carrying a steaming cup of coffee, which she handed to him.

"Morning, Dad," she said. "I've got apple fritters on the go and blueberry scones in the oven. Oh, and the cheesecake is ready."

"You've been busy," he said, following her into the kitchen.

"I'm used to getting up early and I bought the ingredients yesterday because when I get bored, I start baking."

He accepted the still-still warm scone and bit in to it. "Oh yeah. These are good." He gave her a thumbs up, and she smiled. Then the doorbell rang and, after snagging his gun and signing that she was to stay out of sight until he indicated it was safe, he went to answer it.

It was FBI Agent Tobias Fornell. The senior agent was already in his usual suit and tie.

"Your kitchen smells good. It never smells that good," said Fornell, coming inside.

Gibbs grinned at him, and lead the way to the kitchen. Before he could get there, Dabi cautiously stuck her head around the corner, Azan right beside her.

"Everything okay, Dad?" she asked.

"Dad?" Fornell repeated, his eyebrows going up. "Since when?"

"It's a long story," Gibbs replied, signing to Dabi that Fornell was okay.

Dabi glanced at Fornell then headed back in to the kitchen. "If he wants something to eat, there's the scones and fritters, but the cheesecake is for lunch, so paws off," she called over her shoulder.

"A red-head. Figures. You always get yourself in to trouble with them," Fornell said, grinning. "I can't wait to hear the story behind this one."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"So why are you here?" Gibbs asked the FBI agent.

"Got word you have a BOLO out for Tyler Gabber, a muscle-for-hire with an attitude problem," Fornell said, accepting the glazed apple fritter and coffee that Dabi handed him in the kitchen.

"He's a suspect in the murder investigation of a Navy officer. Why?"

"You got a witness?"

Gibbs jerked his head towards Dabi, who was busy pulling out a tray of scones from the oven. "Give."

"He's a suspect in connection with a few of our cases as well. He has a funny habit of disappearing just when we think we've got him."

"You want him as much as we do."

"But you have better resources, which is why I'm being nice and giving you this."

"_This_" was a file with a list of known associates and hang-outs.

"How come you guys haven't been able to get him?" Gibbs asked, studying the file.

"He's a damned bloodhound; he can smell a cop a mile off," Fornell groused. "I figure you guys stand a better chance at getting him. Just let me take a crack at him when you're done, hmm?" Gibbs nodded. He looked at Dabi and said, "Your turn."

"I knew her mom before she was born and she doesn't know who her dad is, which is all she wants, so I agreed to be her pretend dad."

"What does her mom have to say about that?" Fornell asked, watching as Dabi cleaned up the kitchen.

"Her mom was killed by a drunk driver when she was eleven," Gibbs said. Fornell winced. "She's been living with her grandparents since."

"Actually, Mom and I were living with Nana and Pop-Pop even before that," Dabi said, putting the dishcloth over the tap neatly and undoing the strings of her apron, revealing a yellow Batman logo and 'belt' on a black t-shirt with black jeans. She smiled at the men and circled her mouth with her finger. "I can lip-read pretty good."

"What's with the black marks on the apron?" Gibbs asked.

"Autographs. We went to New York for Christmas last year and stopped by Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken."

"Ok."

"Buddy, the star of_ Cake Boss_, was there and Nana and Pop-Pop surprised me with a cake he'd made. Plus, I got a tour of the bakery and Buddy and his family autographed my apron."

"And you're a fan of_ Cake Boss_?" Fornell asked.

"Carlo's was originally Buddy's dad's bakery and it's still being run by his family. Buddy learned all about the bakery business the same way I am," Dabi said.

And Gibbs' cell phone went off. It was Tim McGee and he had bad news.

"_Boss, cops just filed a report; someone went after our PI during the night and beat him to death. His landlord found him this morning_."

"Damnit. Alright, get Tony and Ziva over there and tell them to see what they can find. I'll be there as soon as I drop off Dabi and Azan with you."

"_Got it, boss_."

Gibbs thumbed off his cell and turned to Dabi. "Grab your laptop and whatever else you need; a situation's developed and I need to get over to NCIS now."

"Okay. May I stay with Abby while you're busy?" Dabi asked.

"Talk to McGee; he'll be with you," he said.

Dabi nodded and, calling for Azan, hustled to the guest room while Gibbs headed for his to get some clean clothes on. Understanding that Dabi was a witness, Fornell did guard duty long enough for Gibbs to get changed. Dabi beat him to the door, shoving her feet in to runners and grabbing her jacket.

"Batman fan?" Fornell asked.

Dabi shook her head, shrugging in to her jacket. "Batgirl. Barbara Gordon's a red-head, like me."

"I thought she was a blonde?"

"Only in that really stupid Batman movie with George Clooney," Dabi said, hooking Azan up.

Gibbs appeared, dressed in clean clothes. He was pleased to see Dabi and Azan were ready to go, with her messenger bag at her feet.

As they headed towards their respective vehicles, Fornell muttered to Gibbs, "Emily would love her. You need a babysitter, let me know."

"I'm afraid to; Emily might not let her go, and I'm not so sure I want to either."

"If you're going to claim her as your daughter, I'd clean my rifle if I were you," Fornell said, smirking.

"I already did; I just need the ammunition."

At NCIS, Tim gave Gibbs a fast update.

"Tony and Ziva are at the crime scene and they think Peter Wilber may have had a camera in the office. It also looks like someone was going through his files after they beat him to death."

"Any suspects?"

"Last I heard, the cops were hearing about a man matching Tyler Gabber."

"He gets around. FBI wants him too."

"Fornell?"

"Stopped by this morning with a list of known associates and hang-outs. Seems our resources are better than his. Get in to Wilber's financials and e-mails; see if there's a connection between him and Gabber.

"You got it, boss."

"I've got to go; you have my cell number," Gibbs said to Dabi.

Tim's eyes went wide when Dabi kissed Gibbs on the cheek.

"Be careful, Dad," she said.

He nodded. "I'll be in touch," he said, heading back to the elevator.

"_Dad?_" Tim repeated to Dabi.

She shrugged. "I don't have a dad, so he's letting me pretend he's my dad." She looked at Tim earnestly. "I know you're going to be busy with what Dad asked you to do, so could I go hang with Abby? I have a chemistry report to try and do and I'm hoping she can help me. I promise I won't leave the building and I'll text you if something changes if you give me your cell number."

"You promise to stay in the building and stay with Abby?" Tim asked, not trusting the teen in the slightest.

"I promise!"

"All right," Tim said. He wrote down his cell number on a Post-It note and handed it to her before taking her and Azan to Abby.

On the way, Tim noticed her shirt. "You like Batgirl?" he asked, trying to be nice. Aside from not trusting her, she seemed like a decent kid and kind of reminded him of his sister, Sarah.

She blushed shyly, nodding. Most guys at school usually ignored her or teased her because of her red hair or her deafness, and she was a bit shy herself.

"Batgirl's got red hair like me," she said.

"That's right, she does. Plus, she's got a mean kick. Do you read comics a lot?"

"They're okay, but I like books better. I'm reading one called_ Deep Six_ by Thom E. Gemcity."

"Really? What do you think of it?"

"I wish the author would hurry up and get the next one out. I like the series."

"Well, I have it on personal authority that the next _Deep Six_ book is going to the printers soon, so it'll be out real quick," he said, watch her face light up. He didn't tell her how he knew; he was the author. He made a mental note to get her a signed copy when the book came out.

Abby was quite happy to let Dabi hang with her, as things had gotten a little slow in the lab. She was expecting evidence back from the new crime scene and was waiting in some results from the mass spectrometer, or Major Mass Spec as she was known for calling the machine. The rest of her results were pretty much the same; nada. The computer was still doing a DNA comparison and match tango with CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), so the results would be a while longer still.

Yes, there was blood and hair from Cooper on Dabi's clothes and shoes, but the placement of the blood and hair was not indicative of Dabi having attacked Cooper but of her trying to lift and move him, confirming the statement she had given them. All this Abby had told Gibbs when he'd called her earlier.

The two young women quickly got caught up with each other's respective lives and spent the next fifteen minutes girl gabbing. Dabi told Abby about Gibbs letting her pretend he was her dad and somehow that didn't surprise Abby in the slightest. Then the conversation turned to school.

"I haven't actually failed Chem class yet, but it's so boring!" Dabi complained to Abby as they sat in her office. Azan was at Dabi's shoeless feet, getting his belly rubbed by her feet. "There's always a funny rumbling in the floor fifteen minutes in to the class, probably from all the snoring everyone does, I swear! I wish the class was more like _Mythbusters_; at least then I'd pay attention."

"So you have to do a report on something?" Abby asked.

"Mostly for the extra credit but also to boost my grade a bit. That was the deal Mr. Popowich made with the class."

"What do you have to do the report on?"

"Whatever I want, as long as it involves chemistry and the report and experiments are done in a scientific manner." She sighed heavily. "The way the _Mythbusters_ do it is so cool, and they get to make things explode."

"Failure is an option," Abby quoted, grinning.

"If at first you don't succeed, C-4 it," Dabi said, quoting Jamie Hyneman.

"If it's worth doing, it's worth over-doing," Abby quoted.

"I reject your reality and substitute my own," Dabi quoted.

"Gravity. It's not just a good idea. It's the law," Abby quoted. An idea came to her. "Say, do you know what happens when you add sodium to water?"

"Boom?" Dabi asked hopefully.

"What if you contain that pressure to make a bottle rocket launch?" Abby asked. "How high would it go and what would happen if we did the same with potassium and baking soda and vinegar? What is needed to get a bottle rocket fifty feet in the air?"

"Isn't that dangerous?" Dabi asked.

"Only if you're not real careful and the conditions are perfectly controlled," Abby said cheerfully.

Dabi thought for a moment, then snagged a pen and pad from Abby's desk. "What is the most effective method of launching an ordinary bottle rocket fifty feet in the air?" she said as she wrote. "Okay, so we need consistent variables and a control. I guess that would be when the bottle explodes rather than flies?"

Abby sniggered. "This is going to be so much fun!"

"Except I promised Agent McGee I wouldn't leave the building and I think we're going to need a lot of baking soda, vinegar, and bottles," Dabi admitted. "Dad has him checking in to someone's e-mails and finances."

"So we drag him along while we shop!" Abby said. "He can do it from his laptop while I drive."

"Are you sure? I don't want to cause problems."

Abby just grinned. "Let's do up a list of what we need and then watch the master at work."

At his desk, Tim stared at them and then back at the list. "Baking soda, vinegar, a case of water bottles, and measuring cups and spoons? What are you going to do; fire bottle rockets?"

"Yup!" Abby said cheerfully. "If you come with us, Dabi will still be in protective custody and you can work while I drive." She gave the agent her best puppy look. "Dabi really needs to do this report and it's much more fun than sitting in front of a computer."

Tim sighed. He never could say no to Abby. "Fine, but we go to the store and come straight back; no detours, got it? And if I say move-"

"We move, no questions asked," Abby promised, with Dabi nodding eagerly. Even Azan barked in agreement.

And that was how Tim wound up outside of the garage, getting involved in the bottle rocket experiment.

The idea was to see how high they could launch a simple bottle rocket with an average-sized water bottle. The bottle size would be the consistent variable, along with one solid and one liquid. Abby, who already knew how much water it would take to make sodium explode in water, gleefully handled that part.

Safety measures were in place and everyone wore coveralls and safety glasses. Everything would be recorded visually with a camcorder and a notebook.

Half an hour later, Tim had forgotten he was supposed to be working on a case and instead was helping out with the experiment. Azan was in the corner of the garage, his paws comically covering his eyes.

The sodium and water bottle rocket had produced a nice lift of about fifteen feet, and the potassium had produced a similar result. Then they had moved on to the baking soda and vinegar in increasing amounts of baking soda.

_BANG!_

"Four table spoons of baking soda to a quarter cup of vinegar may have been a bit too much," Abby said, peering over the table where they had ducked when the latest bottle hadn't launched so much as it had exploded.

"Either that or we put the cork in too tightly," Tim said.

"_Ya think?_" came Gibbs' sarcastic reply.

"I'm dead," Tim groaned as none other than Director Vance and Jethro Gibbs emerged from the shadows of the garage.

"Oopsie," Dabi mumbled.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"I am so, so, way so very sorry!" Dabi said, running up to Vance and Gibbs. "Tim and Abby were helping me with my Chemistry report on what it takes to get a bottle rocket at least a hundred feet in the air. I promised Tim I wouldn't leave the building without him and both he and Abby have been great in helping me with the report and I know you asked Tim to do some digging on that private eye guy and he did while we drove to the store to get some supplies so I swear I was with him the whole time. Please don't be angry with Tim; I kinda nagged him in to helping me," Dabi said all in one breath.

"Breath," Gibbs said, trying not to smile.

Dabi let out a gust of breath. "We're almost done and after that I'm going to be really really busy doing up the report on my laptop and downloading the video from the camcorder."

"I want a copy of that report on my desk by the end of the day," Vance said sternly.

"Yes sir!" Dabi squeaked, almost saluting him.

Tim joined them as Dabi quickly headed back to the table.

"We're almost done, boss, and Dabi has kept her word to me," he said.

"How did you get suckered in to this?" Gibbs asked.

"I got conned by two girls who know how to play the game," Tim muttered.

"One day you'll learn," Gibbs said. "You find anything, aside from how to make a bottle rocket explode?"

"I checked in to Peter Wilber's finances and there's no direct connection to Tyler Gabber. He does a lot of cash transactions, however, making it harder to track, but easier for guys like Gabber."

"E-mails?" Gibbs asked, watching as Abby and Dabi began cleaning up from their experiments.

"Found a couple from Amanda Kemper, with one telling him that the flash drive had been stolen and demanding he do something about it. She apparently suspected Cooper because she thought she saw him coming from the direction of her bedroom once."

"So Wilber sets Gabber on Cooper and Cooper gets beaten to death," Vance said.

"Looks like it, sir," Tim said. "How did it go at Wilber's office?"

"Guy was paranoid; he had a hidden camera. As soon as you're done here, get to it," Gibbs said. "We also brought back his computer. Go through it."

"Got it."

"And tell Abby to keep Dabi close; we just got word that Gabber's has been seen around the bakery," Gibbs said in a lowered voice, deliberately turning his face so Dabi couldn't read him.

"Understood."

"I want a copy of that Chemistry report," Gibbs said, heading for the elevator, Vance beside him.

"Is this what I have to look forward to when my daughter gets older?" Vance muttered to Gibbs.

"Only if you let her try the experiments inside the house," Gibbs said grinning. "And you might want to make sure your house insurance covers scientific-related explosions in the garage."

"I don't have a garage; not enough room at the front of the house."

"There's always the garden shed."

Vance sighed heavily.

It took about ten minutes for Abby and Dabi and Tim to do a fast clean-up, largely because they had, for obvious reasons, tried to keep their work area fairly tidy. While McGee hosed down the outside of the garage, Dabi and Abby put the table away and gathered up the materials to take back to the lab.

Back at the lab, Dabi headed for Abby's desk to get started on the report, while Abby checked out the new evidence brought in by Tony and Ziva from the private investigator's crime scene.

She was fifteen minutes in to it when her computer chirped. CODIS had a match on a DNA pattern. Curious, Abby pulled it up and checked it.

And checked it again.

And got on the phone and yelled for Ducky to get to her lab as fast as possible.

When Ducky arrived at the lab, Abby was in full panic mode.

"Dabi said Gibbs knew her mom. I think Gibbs knew_ knew_ her mom, not just in a friendly way but a very guy-girl way," Abby said, pacing the room.

"It's quite possible. After all, Jethro does have a tendency to favor women with red hair, and I have no doubt Dabi's mother had red hair."

"She had more than that," Abby said. She tapped the computer keyboard and pulled up two DNA strands. "The top one is Gibbs' DNA, the bottom one is Dabi's. Take a look."

Ducky's eyes danced across the screen, his eyes going wide. "Oh dear. This is quite the development. Does Jethro know?"

"Not yet," Abby said. "I wanted a second opinion; I wanted to be sure. This is like big big news, like really big, especially for Gibbs. Especially with Kelly."

"Yes, indeed. Do me a favor, Abigail; put Jethro's picture up next to Dabi's."

"You want to see if she has any of his facial characteristics?" Abby asked, complying.

"Yes I do." Then, after studying the two images, he said, "_My god, the eyes. _ Dabi has Jethro's eyes."

"And his smile. Check this out." Abby pulled up a photo of Gibbs grinning at something and Dabi doing the same.

"Good heavens."

"What do we tell Gibbs? What do we tell Dabi? She wanted a dad. Well, Gibbs isn't just her pretend dad, he's like her for-real dad. And her mom never told either of them."

"Surely Dabi must have asked."

"She did and all she was told was that he was a nice guy she knew briefly."

"Briefly enough for her mother to get pregnant with Jethro's daughter." Ducky sighed. "We had better call him. You know how he feels about not being told things."

Abby nodded and picked up the phone.

Gibbs was told that Abby needed to see him in the lab right away, so he was there fairly quickly.

"Whatcha got, Abs?" he asked coming in to the lab.

"I was running DNA samples through CODIS, namely Dabi's," she began.

"Yeah, and?"

"I got a hit. CODIS hit a partial match to someone in the system," she continued, pulling up the DNA comparison.

"Partial match? Parental? To who?"

"You, Jethro. Dabi is your daughter. You are the father she's been looking for," Ducky said gently.

"Dabi is my daughter?" Gibbs repeated, feeling his heart rate speed up. "Are you sure? Amanda and I used protection, at least on my part!"

"Condoms break, Jethro. Surely you know that," Ducky said. "All it takes is once."

"Then why didn't she tell me? I had a right to know!"

"Yes, you did, and we don't know why Amanda didn't tell you. I'm sure she had her reasons. She certainly never told Dabi who you were, aside from you being a nice person, when she asked," Ducky said.

"Abby, are you sure about this?"

"Science doesn't lie, Gibbs, and I always do my tests very carefully because I never know if I'm going to be called to court over it. I wouldn't tell you unless I was absolutely, one hundred percent, beyond a shadow of a doubt sure, not over something like this." She pulled up the earlier photos and put them on the plasma, alongside Amanda Moore's DMV picture.

"She has her mother's face shape and hair, Jethro, but she has your eyes and smile, and from what Abby has told me of Dabi, a bit of your personality as well," Ducky said gently.

"What do I tell her? What do I do, Duck?" Gibbs asked, eyes wide. _ He had a daughter. A seventeen year old daughter with red hair and a wicked punch._

"Tell her the truth, and let the rest attend to itself," Ducky advised.

"I don't want to take her away from her grandparents."

"She's going to be eighteen in about two months," Abby said. "After that, she has the legal right to decide for herself."

Gibbs sighed heavily. "Part of me wants to grab her and run and hide her so she'll never be taken away from me but part of me is asking what right do I have to her? I missed out on the first seventeen years of her life."

"Gibbs," said Abby, coming closer and sliding her arm through his, "when you agreed to let Dabi call you her dad, even though it was just pretend, she was really, really happy. She's gonna be shocked, and even scared at first, when she finds out you're her real dad, because she won't know what her grandparents will think. But if you guys can work something out, she's gonna be burning up your cell phone with text messages. I can't say you won't lose her like Kelly, but I can say I think you got one more chance. From someone who loves you, take that chance and run with it."

Gibbs looked at Abby and she smiled at him. He kissed her forehead and said, "Thanks, Abs. I love you too."

He went in to Abby's office and rapped on Dabi's laptop, getting her attention.

"_How's the report going?_" he signed.

Dabi leaned back in the chair, stretching. "Got a bit more to go, mostly just fine-tuning."

"Feel like taking a break?"

"Could do with one."

"C'mon, there's a Starbucks on the base; I'll buy you an iced coffee."

Dabi perked up. "That I won't say no to. Just let me save my file." She glanced at Ducky and Abby, who were watching them with concern. "What's going on? Is everything okay? Are my grandparents okay?" she asked, suddenly worried.

"They're fine, I promise. We'll find you an NCIS jacket and hat, for safety reasons."

"Okay, but what about Azan?"

"Just take his orange jacket off and we'll find him a Security dog jacket. He'll be allowed to go where we go and no one will question it."

"Okay. Azan's under the desk. Would you mind?"

"Sure."

"Azan, up! Walk time!"

While Dabi saved her file and shut down the laptop, Gibbs removed Azan's orange jacket and called Security. He explained the situation and they promised to have a Security jacket for Azan at the front desk by the time he got there.

As Dabi and Azan and Gibbs headed out, Ducky and Abby watched.

"This is gonna rock her world," Abby said.

"I think Jethro just had his rocked, and perhaps, my dear Abigail, that's not such a bad thing for him. It certainly keeps things interesting."

Abby grinned. "DiNozzo is gonna freak; she's the Boss's Kid."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Are you cold?" Gibbs asked, watching as his daughter (_his daughter!_) rubbed her arms.

"A little bit," she admitted. "I'm used to working in a bakery with the ovens going all the time."

"I'll find you a sweatshirt before we head out."

"Thanks."

They stopped at his locker, where he kept a spare change of clothes, and handed Dabi a well-worn but still warm NIS sweatshirt. She shrugged into the sweatshirt gratefully, pleased to discover that the arms were long enough to bunch over her wrists and the length went past her hips. At his desk, Gibbs grabbed his gun and badge. Normally he wouldn't bother, as he wasn't planning on leaving the base, but the recent incident with Harper Dearing had proved that one couldn't be too careful, even on what was supposed to be a protected Navy base.

"DiNozzo, your hat and jacket," Gibbs said.

"Boss?" Gibbs just looked at him. "Right, boss. Hat and jacket coming up."

"Thanks," Dabi said, accepting the items. She pulled the jacket on and twisted her hair up before putting the cap on. It was a bit snug, so Ziva kindly helped her adjust the band so the hat fit better. With the jacket and hat, if they hadn't known better, they would have assumed Dabi was just a probie agent.

"Taking Dabi and Azan for a coffee run," Gibbs said, heading for the elevator again, with Dabi and Azan.

Tim was looking at his computer, which had just chirped with a message from Abby, and his eyes were going wide.

"We're in trouble," he said.

Earlier, Angela Kemper had shown up and, in tears, confessed to stealing the flash drive.

"Your mother claimed she saw Lieutenant Commander Cooper coming from the direction of her bedroom once," Gibbs said.

Angela shook her head. "My bedroom is next to my parents," she said. "He was coming from my room, after visiting me when I was sick with the flu. Mom and Dad don't know, especially Dad, but Rolland and I were dating when he was murdered."

"Why did you steal the flash drive and how did your boyfriend wind up with it?"

"I knew what Mom was doing, hiring that private investigator. So when I overheard her planning to destroy Dad's career over a stupid affair that Mom pushed him in to, I stole the flash drive and gave it to Rolland to put in a deposit box at his bank. That was what he was on his way to do when he died." Angela started crying again, huge gulping tears. "I was going to blackmail my parents in to a quick and quiet divorce, without any of that drama stuff from Mom. I knew Dad was unhappy and I knew Mom no longer trusted him, that she blamed the Navy for their marriage falling apart. If Mom had found out about me and Rolland, she would have banned me from ever seeing him again, even though I'm more than old enough to tell her to go stuff it!"

"What about your dad?" Gibbs asked.

"I don't think he cared. He never really noticed Rolland, except to give him instructions."

"I can see how you could blackmail your father but not your mother."

"She can't use what she doesn't have and I would only reveal the location of the flash drive _AFTER_ the divorce."

"Would you have?"

"_AFTER _I erased the contents, so she couldn't use it against Dad again."

"You were trying to protect your dad's career."

"I was trying to protect my dad and Rolland."

With the confession from Angela Kemper, the only thing left to do was find and arrest Tyler Gabber.

At Starbucks, Gibbs bought himself coffee and Dabi an iced coffee of her choice. With the NCIS jacket and hat, no one took any notice of Dabi and gave only a passing glance at Azan in his Security jacket.

They headed for an area of the base that was used as a sort of park by the staff and residents. Sitting on a bench, Dabi took Azan off his leash and threw the ball she had tucked in her pocket before leaving.

"What do you know about DNA?" Gibbs asked.

"I can't remember what it stands for but I know it's like computer coding for all life and that each person has fifty percent of their mother and father's DNA, which is how science can determine parentage."

"Have you heard of CODIS?"

"I think so. Some kind of DNA database?"

"Compiled DNA Index System," Gibbs said.

"Okay. Umm, where are you going with this?"

"It's standard procedure in crime scenes that, when we think DNA might lead us to a suspect, Abby runs it through the system. Everyone in every law enforcement agency is in CODIS. That includes NCIS."

"Okay."

"Abby ran your DNA through the system, which kicked back a partial match."

"Really? To who?" she asked as she took a swallow of her drink before throwing the ball again.

"Me. You have fifty percent of my DNA, which makes you my daughter."

Dabi stared at him, her eyes going wide and her mouth falling open. "Are you serious?" she finally squeaked.

"Abby double-checked and I trust her, even if I don't understand the science behind it."

Dabi continued to stare at him, a million thoughts and feelings charging through her mind. Finally she burst out angrily, "Why the hell weren't you there?!"

"I didn't know," he admitted, understanding her anger. "When I first met your mom, I had just divorced my second wife. I wasn't looking for a permanent relationship and she gave me the impression she wasn't either. I spent about a month with her before I got called away to a case over-seas, which is not uncommon with NCIS. After that I never saw her again, and by the time I got back, I was engaged to my third wife."

"Did you ever wonder about Mom?"

"Occasionally, yeah. I thought about dropping by the bakery, where I knew she was working at the time, and seeing if she was still there."

"Why didn't you?"

"Life got away and I figured she'd be married and with kids by now."

"You were half right," she mumbled. She didn't know what to think. She didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, Azan, who had been chasing after his ball quite happily, froze, his nose in the air. Something was wrong.

Then Gibbs' cell went off. It was Tony.

"_Gabber's just been spotted on the base, and he may be armed; Security just found one of their own cold-cocked and his gun and uniform missing_."

Suddenly, Azan charged, barking wildly, straight at Dabi. Gibbs didn't think, he just reacted, and Dabi found herself doing a face-plant into the brown grass, Gibbs covering her. The wooden seat back of the bench exploded as something struck it, causing Dabi to yelp.

"Shots fired! Get over here _NOW_!" Gibbs yelled into his cell, before thumbing it off and yanking Dabi behind the bench, while yanking out his gun. Azan crawled on his belly behind them, whining. The bench wood exploded again as more bullets struck it.

Someone, possibly Gabber, was shooting at them.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Dabi was terrified. Someone was shooting at them and her newly-discovered father had popped up from behind the bench and was shooting back. She didn't know if he hit anyone and was too terrified to look up.

Then Gibbs tapped her shoulder, did a sharp gesture with his hand, probably to tell her to stay put, and he took off running.

"Azan, _follow!_" Dabi commanded, pointing towards Gibbs.

The growling Golden Retriever took off like a shot, easily outpacing Gibbs. Dabi, adrenaline taking over, followed at a more cautious distance, and was just in time to see her beloved dog catch up to a man with olive-colored skin wearing a Security guard uniform.

Azan went through the man's legs at full speed, effectively knocking him to the ground and causing him to lose his gun. Before he could move, Azan had done a neat one-eighty and was now back in front of the man, growling.

"Freeze! NCIS!" Gibbs barked, aiming his gun at the man, one Tyler Gabber. "You move and he bites!"

Technically that wasn't true, but Gibbs wasn't so sure Azan wouldn't bite the guy, just out of sheer doggy spite.

"Besides, that dog never listens to me," he said.

That part wasn't true; he just didn't know what command to give the dog.

The rest of his team joined him, weapons at the ready, along with Dabi.

"Azan, _heel!_" Dabi commanded, instantly recognizing Tyler Gabber, who was being cuffed and hauled up by Tony and Tim. "You're the jerk that beat that Navy guy to death! I'm not going to be forgetting your ugly mug anytime soon!"

"You should have minded your own business, bitch," Tyler snarled.

Dabi saw red, and Tyler suddenly found himself tumbling back, pain exploding in his face.

"Your mistake was using your fists instead of your brain!" Dabi snapped.

As Tyler was led away for questioning, Dabi turned her back to him and cradled her hand, which was starting to hurt like crazy. Gritting her teeth, she swore in what sounded like Hebrew, making Ziva grin.

"I thought I told you to stay put!" Gibbs snapped at Dabi.

"I didn't hear you! Besides, that jerk took a shot at me and my dog! Like hell I'm gonna let him get away without getting my pound of flesh from him!" Dabi shot back. She groaned. "I really gotta learn how to throw a punch."

"I will teach you how to throw a punch and make sure it counts," Ziva promised. "I have no doubt Gibbs will teach you to fight like a Marine but there are tricks that are best suited for a woman. I will make sure you learn them."

"Great. Wonderful. I look forward to it. Who do I see about a busted hand?" Dabi asked.

Gibbs chuckled, put his arm around her shoulders, and said, as they headed back to NCIS, "Let's go see Ducky. He once put some stitches in my head after my third wife took a swing at me with a baseball bat."

"You're kidding me, right?" Dabi asked, her eyes wide. "How many times have you been married?" Gibbs held up four fingers and Dabi muttered, "Geeze, and I'm still butter-tongue around guys."

At NCIS, Gibbs went after Tyler. The team figured that the only way Tyler could have known that Dabi was at NCIS is if someone had told him. They wanted to know who.

Meanwhile, Dabi saw Ducky, who x-rayed her hand, determined it wasn't broken, and gave her some ice to take the swelling down, along with some ibuprofen to ease the pain. He did confirm the baseball bat story, and admitted Gibbs had been injured many times during both the course of his Marine and NCIS career, that injuries were the hazard of the job, but it didn't make him any less careful.

Eventually, Dabi found herself back in Abby's lab with Ziva.

"Are you okay?" Abby asked, seeing her friend's iced hand.

"The guy that killed that Navy officer, he showed up and tried to take a shot at me and Dad," Dabi said. "Dad and Azan got him and I punched him. Lousy punch. Ducky said my hand isn't broken but I'm going to be sore for a while."

Abby nodded. "I did that once; took about two or three days before it stopped aching enough for me to use my keyboard without wincing."

"Ziva promised to teach me how to punch without hurting my hand," Dabi said, jerking her head towards the agent.

"Betcha Gibbs is gonna teach you how to shoot." Dabi nodded, but Abby realized there was something else going on. "Hey," she said, putting her hands on her friend's shoulders. "What's really going on?"

Fighting the tears that welled up in her eyes, Dabi struggled to speak. The first couple of words were difficult but then they started tumbling out and her hands started flying rapidly.

"I saw a guy get beaten to death and I couldn't help him, I got shot at, I've been too afraid to go home, and now I find out who my dad is and it turns out he wants me, when I've always been afraid he wouldn't want anything to do with me. And I've got a sister who died and I never knew her but I miss her and I don't understand! I don't know what Nana and Pop-Pop will think and I don't want to leave them but I want to be with Dad and Ducky said Dad's been hurt on the job and I just found him and I don't want to lose him and and I already lost my mom and I don't want to lose anyone else and, and, and..."

Dabi found herself being engulfed in a three-way hug between Ziva and Abby.

"I'm so confused," she sobbed.

It took a little bit, but eventually the tears eased off.

"When was the last time you ate?" Ziva asked, deciding food was the next important order of business.

Dabi hic-upped and took a swipe at her eyes. "Breakfast, I think, before Agent Fornell showed up at Dad's house this morning."

Abby grinned mischievously. "Did you know Gibbs and Tobias have someone in common?" When Dabi shook her head, Abby continued. "Fornell married Gibbs' second wife, Diane, and she did to him what she did to Gibbs; drained and dumped."

Dabi's eyes went wide. "That explains the causal familiarity with him at the house. I'll bet you guys have a lot of stories about Dad."

Both Ziva and Abby smiled. Girl gab time!

"Pizza?" Ziva asked.

"Pasta?" Dabi suggested.

"Even better."

Tim brought up a DNA sample from Tyler Gabber and quickly left when he heard giggling coming from Abby's office.

Three hours later, after relentless questioning and numerous threats from Fornell (who had been called in by Gibbs), Tony, and Gibbs, Tyler Gabber finally gave up the name of his source.

"_Do you know a Shaun Kyle?_" was the message on Dabi's cell phone from Gibbs.

"Shaun Kyle?" Dabi mumbled. "_Sure,_" she texted back. "_He's a senior-level baker at the bakery but we don't like each other very much._"

"_Why?_"

"_Rumor has it he wants to buy out or take over the bakery and resents the fact that Nana and Pop-Pop have already named me their successor. He doesn't like it when Azan is there and once took a kick at him. I tried to take a kick back and Pop-Pop told him off. He's a jerk around me. Why?_"

"Do you know where he might be?"

"_Probably at the bakery, bossing everyone around if Nana and Pop-Pop aren't there. Again, why? I hate it when you play Twenty Questions with me and don't give me a straight answer when I ask a question._"

"_He's the one who told Gabber where you were._"

"Excuse me?!" Dabi yelped indignantly. "_Lend me your gun! I wanna put a bullet in his kneecap!_"

"_Not if I get there first_," was the reply.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Shaun Kyle, Georgetown address, no criminal record, and no gun possession records," Tony said. "Just a regular paycheck from the Kranz Bakery for about the last ten years, which also happens to be the same bakery Dabi and her grandparents own and run."

The team was gathered around the plasma, after doing a background check on Shaun Kyle.

"No wife, partner, or children," Ziva reported.

"But?" Gibbs asked.

"Yesterday he withdrew a thousand in cash from a savings account," Tim said. "Shortly afterwards, Tyler Gabber deposited a thousand dollars into his account."

Abby had confirmed that Tyler Gabber's DNA was on Lieutenant Commander Cooper's body, as well as Peter Wilber's. The hidden video camera in Peter's office had also provided evidence of the attack.

Wilber had been upset about Cooper's death and had refused to pay Gabber, as part of their original deal, which had been to scare and rob Cooper, not kill him. Gabber had responded by beating Wilber to death and robbing him.

"Cell records? E-mails?" Gibbs asked.

"Nothing," Tim said.

"I want this guy," Gibbs said.

"We could ask Dabi for help," Ziva suggested. "She did say Shaun would most likely be at the bakery and she does know the layout of the place."

"I don't want to risk her safety," Gibbs said.

"Gibbs," Ziva began gently, "do you know what Dabi and Abria mean?"

"What?"

"They are Hebrew names. Dabi means "dearly loved" and Abria means "brave" or "strong". Amanda named your daughter right; Dabi is strong, and if she is anything like you, she will want her piece of flesh from this Shaun Kyle. Offer it to her and let her decide for herself."

Dabi did indeed want her piece of flesh (or pound of flesh, as was the proper saying), and she hadn't told her grandparents about Shaun's actions as per Gibbs' earlier request. Instead, she had been taking her anger out on her Chemistry report. The report was done and being printed and would be comb bound with a clear cover as suggested by Abby, who offered to take care of it when Dabi was called away by Gibbs.

When told about Shaun, Dabi willingly provided a fast map of the bakery.

"There's a door that leads to the loading dock," she said, drawing on a piece of paper. "A lot of the staff park their cars back there, and so do the staff of Kwik Kuts, which is a hair dresser place next door to us."

"Cameras?" Gibbs asked.

"One above the delivery door, so we can see who it is, and one in the front, above the cash register, in case of a robbery. I don't know if the system has been converted to computer yet or not; Nana and Pop-Pop were talking about doing it over Spring Break."

"Weapons?" Tony asked.

"Plenty of sharp knives and heavy tools, but nothing that requires ammunition. There is a baseball bat behind the main counter, but it's only been used once, as far as I know."

"Once?" Tony repeated disbelievingly, eyebrow raised skeptically.

"There is a story about Nana, a drunk leprechaun, and a missing pot of gold on Saint Patrick's Day a few years back, but I never did get the full story on that. Not so sure I want to," Dabi said.

"I'm afraid to," Tony said, getting a few ideas.

"Pfft, Nana's harmless, until you get her mad. Then it's a different subject."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Tony said.

"Sharee is a very nice woman," Ziva said indignantly.

"Just make sure there aren't any big utensils around when she gets mad," Dabi said innocently. "Rumor has it the time there was, she took a metal mixing bowl, turned it upside down on this guy's head, and used a metal spoon to beat on it before asking the guy if he was awake now. That wouldn't have been so bad if there hadn't been a really gooey mixture in the bowl." She smiled sweetly at Tony, who was looking at her nervously. "Or so the story goes."

After hashing out a plan of attack that included Dabi swearing on Azan's life that she would do as she was told, they headed for the bakery.

On the drive there, Dabi was quiet.

"What's up, kiddo?" Gibbs asked.

"I want to stay with you but I want to stay with Nana and Pop-Pop too. Abby said that sometimes, on some cases, you have to go overseas, like the one involving the murdered bomb expert Marine and his dog. She also said that sometimes you guys work crazy hours and only go home long enough for a shower and change of clothes, and that sometimes you get calls at one in the morning."

"That's right, I do." Before Dabi could say anything more, Gibbs gently stopped her. "Once we arrest Shaun, we will sit down with your grandparents and work something out, okay? You may wind up having two rooms."

Dabi nodded. "That would be kinda fun."

"And in the summer, depending on how things work out, I'll take you to Stillwater, where I grew up and where my dad lives."

"That would be cool!" Dabi said perking up.

At the bakery Tim, Tony, and Ziva parked in the front while Gibbs parked in the back, at the loading dock.

"Nana! Pop-Pop!" Dabi called, entering the bakery.

The elderly couple ran to, and eagerly embraced their granddaughter. With everyone converging in the office, Dabi explained the problem.

"Dad and his people need to talk to Shaun; they caught the guy who killed that Navy officer but Shaun's name came up," she said. "Is he working today?"

Daniel nodded. "We have an order of birthday cakes and he should be making them."

"Where?" Gibbs asked.

"This way," said Daniel, leading the way.

"Go around and head for the back," said Gibbs ordered Tony. "If he runs, stop him."

Tony nodded and headed for the loading ramp.

The bakery was laid out in several large rooms. There was a giant walk-in fridge for both baked goods and ingredients. There was another room that was primarily excess storage, and two main baking rooms with several counters and hot ovens.

Shaun Kyle, a big, brawny man with a handlebar mustache and bald head, was busy lifting a large bowl of cake mix on to the counter to be poured into the trays.

"Shaun! Come here for a moment!" Daniel called.

Shaun looked up to reply, but froze when he saw Gibbs, Ziva, and Dabi, Azan beside her. Tim had hung back in case Shaun got past them. He hesitated.

"Shaun, put the bowl down," Gibbs said. "We just want to talk."

Dabi shrieked as Shaun suddenly flung the cake batter at them, before running. Gibbs and Ziva got the worst of it.

"McGee, get him!" Gibbs yelled, trying to get very gooey (and very tasty) cake batter out of his eyes. "Son of a bitch!" he snarled as Tim shot past them.

"Shaun, you jerk!" Dabi yelled. She had grabbed a towel, soaked it, and was now trying to help her father get the batter out of his eyes long enough to go after Shaun. Daniel and Sharee, who had followed, were assisting Ziva.

CRASH!

"Son of a bitch!" Tim yelled from somewhere up ahead. "Stop! NCIS!"

There was another crashing noise and more yelling as everyone came upon a mess of pots, pans, and what appeared to be a shelving unit, all over the floor.

A little further ahead was Tim and another baker on the floor. Tim was covered in flour and both the baker and Tim were covered in chocolate cake, icing, and cherries.

"Black Forest?" Tim asked the baker, a woman with black hair. The woman nodded. "Yummy."

"DiNozzo, get him!" Gibbs yelled.

There was a thud, a yell, and everyone got to the dock in time to see Tony, now covered in mud, picking himself up from a very large mud puddle.

"That was a brand new suit!" Tony yelled, giving chase down the alley.

He almost had Shaun when someone suddenly opened a door and he ran straight in to it.

"Oh my god," Gibbs groaned, watching as his senior field agent hit the ground, again.

There was nothing anyone could do as Shaun got to his truck and tore out of the area, with their car blocked by an oncoming delivery truck.

"How the hell are we going to explain this to Director Vance?" Tim asked, helping a very dazed Tony up off the ground.

Tony took one look at the rest of his teammates and started laughing. "You bomb me with one more can, kid, and I'll snap off your cajones and boil them in motor oil!" he cackled, quoting Harry from _Home Alone_.

"He's looped," Tim groaned.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

A BOLO was put out on Shaun's vehicle, a worn truck, and someone with First Aid training looked Tony over. It turned out the worst he had was a bruised nose, forehead, and a headache from his collusion with the door, and a bruised shoulder from where he hit the ground after being shoved off the loading dock by Shaun.

The ladies at _Kwik Kuts_ felt guilty about causing Tony's accident and quickly convinced Tony, Tim, and Ziva to come in and get their hair washed and set for free as an apology. Gibbs, on the other hand, elected to wash his hair in the staff locker room shower. Everyone got clean shirts and pants, as in the case of Tony, courtesy of the bakery.

While Gibbs and Dabi (who had washed her hair in the apartment shower) and Azan waited for the others, they talked to Daniel and Sharee and explained what Abby had found.

"The DNA results says Dabi is my daughter. I don't know why Amanda never told me; she probably had her reasons; but now that I know, I want very much to be part of her life," Gibbs said. He could see the apprehension in their faces and understood. "The thing is though, I'm not going to take her away from you. This is her home and from what she says, you two have basically raised her for the past seven years, since Amanda died. My job is dangerous, and I don't work regular hours. Sometimes I even have to go overseas on cases, so I'm not always home. My gun is part of my life and, on occasions, so is my rifle. I would feel more secure if Dabi continued to live with you. I'll see her every chance I get, and I'll be in regular contact with her, but it's best if she continues to stay with you."

"Dad's suggested a summer trip to Stillwater, where he used to live, and where his dad still lives, and I'd like to go," Dabi said nervously.

"I can't see a problem with that," Sharee said, looking at her husband, who nodded.

Sensing they needed to talk to Dabi in private, Gibbs left to check on his team.

"Dad's a really good person," Dabi began. "He just doesn't have much luck with women because he's been married four times and divorced three."

"What happened to the wife he didn't divorce?" Daniel asked.

"Her name was Shannon and she was his first wife and she and their daughter, Kelly, were killed in a vehicle accident, along with an NCIS agent, that was actually a murder because Shannon witnessed the murder of a Marine by a Mexican drug lord. Kelly would have been my half-sister." Dabi had gotten the story from Ziva and Abby. "He was a Gunnery Sergeant Marine involved in Desert Storm and was away when they died."

"Dear Lord," Sharee breathed.

"I'm just afraid of losing you guys," Dabi admitted. "I really want to get to know Dad but I don't want to lose you."

"Oh Dabi! You'll never lose us!" Sharee promised, engulfing the teen in a tight hug. "I'm glad you found your father and he seems like a good man. I want you to get to know him. We'll always be here, I promise."

When they finally got back to NCIS, Abby was waiting for them, and she was grinning.

"What?" Tim grumped.

"You look real cute covered in chocolate and cherry cake," Abby said.

"How? Never mind," Tim said when he caught the grin on Dabi's face.

"By the way, Director Vance wants to see you, Dabi," Abby said.

Dabi nodded and, leaving Azan with Gibbs, headed upstairs.

"Her Chemistry report is on your desk," Abby told Gibbs.

"Yeah, and?"

"It's good. I think she'll get a good mark on it," Abby said.

"Good enough for me."

Up in Vance's office, the secretary had something for her. It turned out that while she had been away, Abby had turned in her Chemistry report to Vance for her. The secretary had the report back and gave it to Dabi.

"I don't understand," said Dabi, looking at the scrawled signature on the cover.

"The director read the report; that's his signature," the secretary explained. "When you turn that in to your teacher, it should be enough to get you a good grade. After all, it was given approval by the Director of NCIS, and that's a pretty hefty approval rating there."

"Wow," Dabi said, looking at her report with wide eyes; it was worth big gold right about now, especially if it got her a good mark in Chem class.

Downstairs she handed the report to Gibbs, who smiled when he saw the signature. "That'll get you a good mark, all right."

"Is there a chance I could hang with Ducky for a while? My Biology teacher made the same deal."

"How bad?" Gibbs asked.

"Kinda hovering around the C plus/B minus mark and I kinda wanna bring it up a bit without falling asleep in class."

"Autopsy ain't pretty," Gibbs cautioned her.

"Maybe, but I won't know until I try," she said, giving him her most charming look. It worked.

"Abby?"

"On our way," she chirped cheerfully.

"McGee, Ziva, Shaun Kyle's apartment, go!" Gibbs said.

"Gone," said Tim.

"DiNozzo?"

"His phone records and anything else we can use to find him," Tony said. "You?"

"Admin, to adjust my personnel files to include my daughter."

Two hours later, Gibbs checked in on his daughter and Ducky. Ducky, Jimmy, Azan, and Dabi were all seated around an autopsy table, with several files spread out and a legal pad and pen in front of Dabi, with notes on several pages and what looked like drawings as well.

"And that, my dear, is how a man can die from drinking too much water," Ducky said.

"Yikes," Dabi said.

"You talking about the Mary Courtney case?" Gibbs asked, coming in to Autopsy.

"Ah, Jethro, yes. Specifically about Lieutenant Simms," Ducky said.

I knew you could die from drowning, but I didn't know you could die from over-hydration," Dabi said, stretching. "Yikes!"

"Nasty stuff," said Gibbs. "You got what you need?"

"What I don't, I'll come back and pester for later," Dabi answered. "If you don't mind, I'd like to sit in for an autopsy one day."

"Always welcome, my dear," said Ducky, with Jimmy nodding.

Gibbs smiled. "We're heading home for the day. Until Shaun makes his move, there's not much we can do here."

"Okay," said Dabi. After gathering up her stuff and saying good-bye to Ducky and Jimmy, with Azan trailing behind her, she followed her father out of Autopsy.

In the elevator, Gibbs watched as Dabi yawned tiredly. It had been a long day, both physically and emotionally. He decided to forego making supper at home and just grab some take-out of some kind.

Earlier, trusting Ducky and Jimmy to keep Dabi safe, Gibbs had gone to a Build-A-Bear store in Washington and found a special Hello Kitty white Kitty. Dressed in pants, shoes, white shirt, dark blue jacket, and a dark blue baby baseball hat with the letters NCIS on the hat, the Kitty looked like an agent. Gibbs had even gotten a small gold "badge" pin from the administration department.

"You hungry?" he asked.

"More tired than hungry, but yeah, I am a bit," Dabi replied.

"We'll grab something to eat on the way home," he promised.

"Sounds good," she said.

She was nearly asleep by the time they got home. Gibbs gently guided her to what was now her room and watched as her face lit up at the sight of the Agent Kitty.

"Supervisory Agent Kitty. Cool!" she said, before yawning sleepily. Then; "Fudge, I gotta let Azan do his duty."

"Go to bed; I'll take care of him," he coaxed.

She was in bed and asleep by the time they got back.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The next morning, after a fairly quiet night, Dabi woke to the smell of coffee. A glance at her alarm clock told her it was just after eight. A fast shower and dress soon had her downstairs and heading for the kitchen.

Gibbs was up, showered, and dressed, and sipping his coffee while he read his newspaper.

"Morning, sleepyhead," he said. "Did you sleep well?"

She nodded. "I must have; I don't remember dreaming."

"There's cereal in the pantry," he said. "Help yourself. Nice shirt."

She looked down; under an open black, red, and grey plaid poplin men's work shirt was a grey shirt with the Marine Corps logo and symbol written across it in red that she was wearing over stonewashed men's jeans. She wasn't trying to dress like a guy; with the way her body was growing, men's clothing were simply a more comfortable fit in some areas.

"We did a tour of the Quantico Marine base last year, as part of the whole career exploration thing, and they were doing sniper training in one area."

"Did you take a shot?"

"Yup. Hit the first target at five hundred yards. The Gunnery Sergeant who was doing the tour offered to let me try hitting the others. I hit the second target at eight hundred and the third at a thousand. Not necessarily bullseye, but I hit them."

"That's damn good. You ever shoot before?"

"I went turkey hunting the fall before and there's a guy at the bakery who deals with pesky coyotes and the occasional deer. He lets me practice at the range when we get the time and the chance," Dabi said, getting herself a bowl of cereal. "Anyway, that was how I got the shirt and I got to keep the shell casings from the rounds I fired. Some of my classmates didn't understand why it took so long to fire off a shot and the Gunnery Sergeant said that snipers have the rule of one shot, one kill, and that each shot had better count because they may not get the chance again, especially if the shot is the difference between a mission being a success or failure."

"He's got that right."

"Were you a sniper?"

Gibbs nodded. "I still have my rifle."

"Cool."

They continued to chat about various subjects before Dabi had to take Azan outside for his morning piddle.

With Gibbs watching, Azan did his business.

Then;

"Hey Jethro!" someone called to Gibbs.

It was Jack Armstrong and his teenage son, Eric; Gibbs' neighbors.

"Morning, Jack," Gibbs called back.

"Who's the pretty lady?" Jack asked.

"That's my daughter, Dabi," Gibbs said. He raised an amused eyebrow when Dabi blushed at the smile Eric gave her. "Where are you off to today?"

"Got a friend with a coyote problem. Gonna go up for a few days, have a little fun before school starts again," Jack said, loading a canvas bag into the back of his truck.

"You get the bolt on your rifle fixed?" Gibbs asked.

"Bolt fixed and scope sighted," Jack said, holding up a _Remington Model 700_ rifle with a scope attached to it.

"That's a nice-looking dog," said Eric to Dabi, who blushed again. Eric was very cute, standing nearly six feet tall, with wavy brown hair, green eyes, and broad shoulders that stretched his sweatshirt.

"His name's Azan; he's my hearing dog," she said, very, very glad she had bothered to put a little make-up and some earrings on before coming downstairs. She had even sprayed on a little body mist this morning; Wild Berry Tulips from Bath and Body Works.

"Yeah? Where do you go to school?" he asked, liking the way her red hair curled around her face. She smelled nice, too.

She told him. "It's near the Kranz Bakery, where I live with my grandparents, and where I work most of the time."

"You work at a bakery? Like _Cake Boss?_ That is so cool," said Eric.

Gibbs was sure Dabi's clothes were going to catch fire if she blushed any harder.

Then trouble struck.

Dabi moved and the tree she was standing next to suddenly exploded as a bullet struck it.

"Daddy!" she screamed, hitting the ground, Eric right beside her. She screamed again when she saw Mr. Armstrong go down, hit. "Daddy!" she screamed again.

Yesterday was happening all over again.

The black truck made a rapid turn-around, with Gibbs firing at it. His shots hit the truck, shattering the windows, but didn't stop it. It did stop the shooting long enough for Dabi to make a frantic dive for the fallen Remington, which was next to the Armstrong truck and a groaning, bleeding Jack.

Hands shaking, she quickly took a magazine from the holder on the stock and slapped it into the rifle, before racking back the bolt to load the rifle. With the scope covers up, the rifle was ready to fire.

She flinched when more bullets struck the truck she was hiding behind. Then they stopped and she saw her dad stand in the street and fire off some shots.

It was her turn.

She moved to kneel beside him, one knee supporting her left arm as her left hand supported the rifle barrel.

As Gibbs watched the truck drive away, he swore. Then he noticed Dabi, and stepped back, out of the danger zone.

He had seen this before, the concentration of someone, usually a sniper, preparing to fire. She had told him about making a five hundred yard shot with a sniper rifle. But the Remington was a deer hunting rifle, a different breed of weapon.

It was going to be a long shot.

She squeezed the trigger.

And the rear-view mirror exploded.

It was a shot of nearly two hundred yards.

The truck swerved as the driver panicked and lost control, before slamming in to a tree.

"Unless I see your hands, the next shot will be between your shoulders!" Dabi yelled, never moving from her position, except to eject the shell and rack in another round. The driver didn't comply, so Dabi adjusted her sight and fired again, this time punching a hole near the driver's head that struck the tree on the way out. "Last warning! Hands! Now!"

Two shaking hands came out the driver side window.

"Do exactly what you are told, driver! Remember, I can see you!" Dabi yelled.

As Gibbs and Eric ran to cover the driver, Dabi watched through the scope. Then the driver looked as if he was about to fight and Dabi fired once more, shattering the open driver-side door widow and striking the side-view mirror.

"Behave!" Dabi yelled.

The driver behaved after that.

It was Shaun Kyle and he was bleeding from flying glass, but Dabi didn't have any sympathy for him, not after what he just did.

Instead, on shaking legs, she headed back to the Armstrong truck, disarmed the rifle, and sat down very heavily on the ground, against the truck.

She noticed Mr. Armstrong was being attended to by a woman, probably his wife, who had a phone to one ear.

"_I should go and help him,_" she thought hazily. "_It's my fault he got hurt; Shaun was after me._"

But she couldn't move. Instead, with the rifle stock against the ground and the rifle between her knees, she leaned her head against the scope, shoulders slumped. That was when the tears started, slowly sliding down her face.

That was where Gibbs found her a minute later. Someone took the rifle from her, probably to secure it, and someone else put a jacket around her. The jacket had a musky smell, that of a guy. She would later find out that the jacket belonged to Eric, who was in awe of her.

When Gibbs put his arm around her shoulder, she leaned against him, her fingers buried in Azan's comforting fur.

Shaun was secure and being transported to NCIS for interrogation and eventual charging. He hadn't said a word, invoking his right to remain silent.

"_Anyone else after me?_" she signed to Gibbs.

"_Just Eric,_" he signed back.

"_Huh?_"

"_I think he wants to ask you out._"

Dabi didn't know whether to laugh or hide her face in her father's shirt.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Tony winced when he saw the hole in the windshield and the destroyed side view and rear view mirror.

Imitating Rick O'Connell from The Mummy, Tony said, "We are in serious trouble."

"That was a one hundred and ninety-two yard shot," said Tim, coming up to him, "based on where Gibbs said Dabi fired from and where Shaun lost control. The other two shots are just outside the two hundred yard range by half a meter. Oh, and it was a coyote-hunting rifle she used; apparently it belongs to Gibbs' neighbor, Jack Armstrong."

"Any relation to Neil Armstrong?"

"Nope. Speaking of Jack Armstrong, the paramedics have him on his way, along with his wife, Julie."

"Anyone else hit?"

"Dabi got a bit of a scratch from flying wood but otherwise she's fine. Beyond that, no one else was hit. Apparently Shaun would have been if he'd kept fighting. What was he shooting with, anyway?"

"A .45 Auto Ruger pistol," Tony said, holding up the gun by the trigger guard. "Our bad boy even had a spare clip with ten rounds plus one."

"The bullet holes look more like spray-and-pray rather than aim-and-hit," said Tim.

"So was he aiming for her or trying to scare her?" came Gibbs' voice as he joined them.

"He may have been trying to at first, but after the first shot," Tim shook his head, "forget about it." Watching as Tony bagged the Ruger, he asked, "How's Dabi?"

"Pretty badly shaken up."

"Two shootings in two days, on top of the murder? She would be."

Gibbs nodded then changed the subject. "What do you got?"

"We got the gun," said Tony. "Ten shots a clip plus one in the chamber and he didn't get a chance to use the second clip."

"Is the truck his?"

"Mud and all," said Tony. "He even had your address written down."

"How did he get it?" Gibbs demanded.

"Let's ask him," said Tim.

But it was Daniel Shemo who provided the answer.

"_Someone turned off the bakery alarm in the night and found your address. Not the exact address, but the street and intersection_," David said over the phone.

Gibbs sighed heavily. "Dabi?"

"_She told us the area because she was afraid we wouldn't know where to find her if something went wrong, and at the time we didn't suspect anyone here_," David admitted. "_Please don't blame her._"

"I don't; I blame Shaun," he said.

"_Do you know why Shaun tried to have her killed?_"

"Not at the moment, no, we don't," Gibbs said. "As soon as we know, you'll know."

"_Thank you, Jethro, I appreciate that._"

"Yeah. Get that alarm code changed."

"_Will do._"

At NCIS, Shaun Kyle continued to remain silent. In the watching room, Gibbs joined Ziva, having dropped Dabi off with her grandparents. He suspected she needed some sense of normality after all that had happened.

"He saying anything?" Gibbs asked.

"I asked him why he tried to have Dabi killed and he denied that. He said she was in his way and he just wanted her out of his way so he could get what he believed was rightfully his," Ziva said, having conducted the interrogation. "Beyond that, he has asked for his lawyer."

"Nothing else?"

"No."

"Well, Abby's processing the gun, so we should have enough evidence to keep the prosecutors happy."

He went into the interrogation room and slammed the door, making Shaun jump.

"I have nothing to say," the senior baker said.

"That's fine," said Gibbs, planting his hands on the table and leaning forward. "Which means you listen. You are going to be charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit murder, assaulting a federal officer, possession of an illegal weapon, and anything else the D.A. can think of. You will be going to jail for a very long, long time, and every time you try to apply for early parole, I will be right there, waiting. That was my daughter you just tried to kill!"

"She was in my way," was the sullen comment. "I've been planning to buy out Daniel and Sharee for months, but when they started talking about how Dabi and her dog were going to take over once she finished college, I had to do something. That damn deaf kid wasn't going to be the boss of me, not when I'd worked there for over seven years."

"Well, guess what? The only baking you're going to be doing is in the federal penitentiary!"

Shaun looked a little green around the gills with that thought.

Three days later, Gibbs got a phone call that had him worried. With Dabi back home with her grandparents and a new case on his desk involving smuggling of illegal goods, things had returned to normal, more or less. However, every day Dabi was texting him, chatting about one thing or another. She seemed to be okay, diving in to work at the bakery and pulling full shifts.

Then the phone call from Sharee changed that.

"_She's practically thrown herself into the work, starting when we do and stopping only when we close for the night_," Sharee said. "_I know she isn't sleeping well and she won't talk about Shaun or Lieutenant Commander Cooper. His family has invited her to his funeral but she says she can't go, that she doesn't have time. Daniel and I don't know what to do, except to force her to see a counselor._"

"And she'll shut down so fast it won't be funny," said Gibbs, sipping the coffee he had just bought. He had been on his way back to his desk when the call came in.

"_That's what we're afraid of._"

Gibbs thought for a moment. "Before I knew she was my daughter, when Dabi got in to trouble the first time, it was Abby she screamed at for help."

"_Do you think Abby might be able to help her again?_"

"It's worth a try."

When Gibbs got back to his desk, Abby was waiting for him. "Your smuggler is the neatest bookkeeper I've ever seen, but a lousy password maker."

"You got in?" Gibbs asked.

"Didn't even have to break out the big guns," she said cheerfully.

"Good, because there's a problem; something's wrong with Dabi. Daniel and Sharee are worried about her."

"The long shifts, the constant changing of the subject if someone brings up Shaun?" Abby asked.

"You too?" Ziva asked, joining them.

"She won't talk and if I push her to a shrink..." Abby did a zipper motion across her lips. "You got it," said Gibbs.

"If not a shrink, then who?" Vance asked, quietly joining them. He had read the report on the shooting at Gibbs' place and had been impressed. Now he was concerned. Dabi seemed like a good kid, and now that he was a widow with two children of his own, he had become more aware of how important it was to be involved in his children's lives.

"Maybe me and Ziva?" Abby suggested. "She did the last time, after the first shooting."

"We could go shopping together," Ziva suggested.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at Vance. Vance sighed heavily. "A witness who was nearly a victim. I'll figure out how to explain this in the next budget meeting. Pick it up before you two go."

"What is he talking about?" Ziva asked, as Vance walked away.

"A one-time only unlimited credit card use," said Gibbs, smirking. "You have the day off, but get Dabi to talk. I don't care how you do it; just make sure she talks," he told them.

The next morning, bright and early, Ziva and Abby arrived at the bakery. Dabi was already up and moving and already covered in flour.

"We are going shopping and you are coming with us," Abby said. "We're talking spa, hair, nails, the works, and then clothes and food. When you go back to school, the other girls are gonna hate you." She had her hair down and unwashed, just like Ziva, and both were dressed comfortably.

"I don't know if I can; we're a baker short at the moment," Dabi admitted. She looked tired and pale, and her hair looked limp.

"Dear, we appreciate the help you've given us, but we can manage for one day without you," Sharee said, having been told earlier of the plan. "Besides, you're supposed to be on Spring Break and having fun, not working all the time."

Dabi sighed heavily. Heck, what harm could it do? It was better than working and thinking of Shaun all the time.

She nodded. "I have to get changed," she said.

"You have five minutes, girl, and the clock is ticking," Abby said, grinning. "And gussy up but leave the hair and face alone."

Dabi did as she was told, selecting red jeans, a white lace long-sleeve top and camisole, black flats with a red dragon on the top, and a dragon earwrap in one ear with a crystal stud in the other.

Because of her denim jacket being a witness to the Cooper Business, as Dabi preferred to call it, it was still at NCIS in the Evidence Room, where it was likely to stay for some time. And even if she ever did get it back, she wasn't so sure she wanted to. Instead, she had taken to wearing the jacket Eric had given her. Apparently it was an old one of his that no longer "fit right" and he had told her to keep it. Besides, it smelled good.

What Dabi didn't know was that Eric had talked to Gibbs, Tony, and Tim about her the day of the second shooting.

_Three days ago:_

After his mom and dad had been taken to a hospital and promising to meet up with them as soon as possible, Eric watched Dabi, who was playing with Azan, and wearing the jacket he'd put on her because she had looked cold. The jacket looked good on her and he wished he knew how to get closer to her.

"She's pretty, isn't she?" Tony asked, noticing.

"She's not like the other girls, worried about her hair or make-up. She's got a scratch on her face and all she did was clean it and put some antiseptic on it. She didn't freak or anything. Most girls I know would have been going major freak-out. She's different."

"She works in a bakery with her grandparents and lives above the bakery, which is where she's lived all of her life," Tim said. "I'm betting she's gotten worse or seen worse than a simple scratch."

"She said she broke her toe once when she dropped something heavy on her foot," Gibbs said.

"Ouch," Eric said, wincing. "Her voice is different though, like she can't hear herself."

"She's deaf," said Tim. "But that doesn't make her any less special. She's still a girl, she just can't hear."

"So how do I impress her?" Eric asked, willing to take any advice he could get.

"Learn sign language, so you can talk to her on her level," said Tim. "It's not hard and it can be a lot of fun."

"Look at things from her perspective," said Tony. "If you want to watch a movie, make sure it has subtitling for the deaf and hearing impaired. A lot of movies have it these days."

"She's a bit shy, so try and be friends with her," Tim advised.

"Talk to her like a friend, but treat her like a lady," said Tony. "Girls love that."

"There's just two rules you have to remember," said Gibbs. "Rule Number One: where she goes, Azan goes. Number Two: you hurt her, we hurt you, and we have guns."

"And that doesn't even include what her best friend, Abby, would do to you," said Tim. "Abby's a forensic specialist who can hurt you and make it look like an accident."

Eric looked at the three men and realized they were perfectly serious. "Yes, sir," he said.

_Present:_

"I'm ready," Dabi said, joining them back down stairs, tucking her wallet and cell phone into her Hello Kitty shoulder bag. "What about Azan? They won't allow him in spas, hearing dog or not."

"Doggy day care. All-day pampering, fun, and cuddles," Abby said, having already booked him a spot at one such place. She held up a plastic card and both she and Ziva grinned. "One-day only unlimited credit card access, courtesy of our very own Director Leon Vance of NCIS."

Dabi's eyes went wide. "You're serious?" Both women nodded. "Azan! Let's go!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

They were at a day spa, being pampered with hot stone massages, facial massages, and were currently on pedicures. The spa package included lunch, manicures, and hair. Dabi was sure that if she got any more relaxed, she was going to be a boneless pile of flesh.

This had to be one of the best days ever. _Now if the nightmares would just stop._

Ziva and Abby were so cool, especially when Dabi found out she had once been a Mossad agent for Israel.

That was when the question came.

"Have you ever had to kill someone you knew?" Dabi asked.

Ziva gave a sad smile and nodded. "Many years ago, when I was still a Mossad agent, I was forced to kill Ari, my half-brother, because he had killed an innocent person and gone red (rouge, Abby corrected). He would have killed others had I not stopped him."

"Did you have nightmares?" Dabi asked.

"For months afterwards, yes."

Dabi nodded. She leaned back in her chair, not seeing the glance shared between Abby and Ziva. "I had Shaun's head in my scope that last time. I had two rounds left in a five-round clip and I knew it. All he had to do was make one wrong move and I would have killed him. I couldn't get a body shot because Dad and Eric were in the way but I had a head shot." She took a shaky breath as the tears started sliding down her face. "I lost my mom because of a drunk driver, I had just found my dad, and found out he's a good person who wants me, and I didn't want to lose him and Shaun had just shot at me and my dog and I saw someone die and I didn't want to lose anyone else!" Sobbing, her hands flying, she continued. "All he had to do was make one wrong move and I would have killed him and I hate him for having put that on me! He keeps chasing me in my nightmares and I keep shooting at him but I can't get away from him! I keep seeing Cooper, asking me why I couldn't save him, why I let him die, and I swear I tried to help him but he was so heavy and I ran as fast as I could, _I swear..._"

What they didn't realize was that a woman seated next to them had started listening in. She had tried not to, but then it had become hard not to.

"Excuse me?" the chocolate-skinned woman asked carefully. When Ziva nodded, she held up a badge that she had taken out of her purse. "What happened?"

Ziva gave her a fast run-down and the cop winced. She then tapped Dabi's knee to get her attention, having deuced by the signing that the teen was deaf.

"My name is Jackie and I'm a cop. I've had to make the same choice."

Dabi looked at her, palming her eyes. Jackie continued. "About three years ago there was a domestic situation that got badly out of hand. Guy was holding a gun and threatening his wife and everyone under the sun. There was six of us that responded. He was waving this gun around, acting all crazy like, and there were six guns all lined up on him. All he had to do was point that gun at one of us and we would have shot him."

"Did you?" Dabi asked, taking a shaky breath.

"Thank Jesus, no. Stupid thing was, the gun he had, it was a fake."

Ziva muttered something rude in Hebrew and Abby groaned.

"From that distance, though, we couldn't tell," Jackie said. "All he had to do was one stupid thing and he would have died and the rest of us would have had to live with that. I was plenty mad at him for that, believe me." She smiled at Dabi. "Sweety, you were just trying to protect your dad. The fact that you can still feel the way you do, you're no stone-cold killer. I'm not going to be worried about you."

"What about Cooper? I could have saved him," Dabi said.

Abby shook her head. "I saw the autopsy report; there was nothing you could have done. He had bleeding in the brain and even if he had gotten to a hospital in time, he would still have died or worse, suffered permanent brain damage."

Abby held up her cell phone. There was a text message from Ducky. "If you can't believe me, believe Ducky; he did the autopsy."

"_My dear Dabi_

_Lieutenant Commander Cooper suffered severe blunt-force trauma to his head and face. When you found him, he was already bleeding in the brain. These sorts of injuries are quite fatal and usual quite quick._

_Having been a doctor in the medical field for a great many number of years, both as a physician and as a medical examiner, I can say with honest sincerity that you, my dear, did everything humanly possible. The fact that you tried to help him and the fact that you went and got help and the fact that you were willing to tell someone what had happened, that, dear child, is far more important than you realize. I believe, in death, Lieutenant Commander Cooper found peace because you spoke up and made sure he got justice._

_There was nothing you could have done to save his life, but your courage ensured he did not die in vain. Do not blame yourself for what you could not have prevented. Instead, take comfort in the knowledge that you did the best you could and showed a desperate man a little bit of kindness in his final moments. That, Dabi, dear, is all any of us can ever hope to ask for."_

After that, Dabi found herself calming down. By the time she got home that night, she was well and truly exhausted, both mentally and physically.

After sending her dad a text to assure him she was okay, she slept soundly that night. There were no nightmares.

The next day she received a surprise. It was Eric Armstrong and he had stopped by to pick up some pastries for his dad, who was out of hospital. The gunshot wound from Shaun Kyle had fortunately not been fatal, just serious.

"Hi," she said shyly.

"Hi," he said, trying not to swallow his tongue. She had looked pretty before but today she looked gorgeous, with blonde highlights in her hair and stars painted on her short, manicured nails. "I thought I'd pick up some apple turnovers for my dad and check this place out."

"Have you been signing long?" she asked, picking out some turnovers from the display case.

"I just started learning," he admitted. "I never realized how many deaf people there were and thought it would be fun to try and learn."

That got her attention. By the time he finally left, after a text message from his mother wondering where he was, she had stopped being shy with him, and had promised to go to a movie gathering with him and some of his cousins later that month. _The Hobbit_ was out and everyone wanted a _Lord of the Rings_ movie marathon.

Eric left, feeling pleased with himself. He had managed to do one very important thing; he had made Dabi laugh.

School started again, and after school Gibbs picked Dabi and Azan up. As she headed down the stone steps to where he was leaning against his car, she encountered Brenda, her nemesis.

"Isn't he a bit old for you?" the girl snarked.

"Nope. That's my dad," Dabi said cheerfully.

"You don't have a dad," Brenda shot back.

Dabi smiled. "I do now. I found him during Spring Break. And you want to know the best part?"

"What?"

Dabi jerked her head towards Gibbs, who smiled and held up his NCIS badge. He had been watching and seen what had been said, thanks to Dabi's signing.

"He's a federal agent," Dabi said, smiling even wider when Brenda's face went pale. "Gotta run; he and I are due for a training session."

"For what? Covert ops? How to be a sneak?" Brenda said, desperately trying to regain her footing.

"Nope. How to fight... like a Marine. Bye!"

And with that, Dabi cheerfully bounded down the rest of the steps, Azan right beside her. "See you tomorrow, Brenda!" she called, as she got in to the car. Gibbs waved at the staring teenager before pulling away.

"That was mean," he said. Then he smiled. "Well done."


End file.
